Ronnie 2K joined NBA on TNT recently for the NBA 2k25 Datacast of the NBA Cup Games. Sitting with Vince Carter, Dennis Scott, Kirk Goldsberry, and Tim Doyle, Ronnie was asked if there were any players who he struggled to rate at the start of the season.
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Every year, critiques about the ratings are hurled towards Ronnie, but the player whose rating was most inaccurate at the start of this season was a rookie. It’s understandable, given how little data there is to predict how a player transitions into the NBA. But the player who saw the biggest ratings jump in 2K25 was also rated lower initially because he was drafted outside the lottery.
“Well, the guy that’s jumped up the most, probably not surprisingly, has been Jared McCain,” Ronnie revealed.
Like many other fans, Ronnie knew of McCain for his social media presence but didn’t expect the Duke standout to dominate so early into his career.
“In his case, he’s like a marketing star, right? But his game has followed right behind, you know, to put up 12 points on his rating, I believe, just now. He went from a 73, I believe, to an 85. He is crushing it.”
"The guy that's jumped up the most .. has been Jared McCain" 🔔✨@Ronnie2K talks about player OVRs with the NBA 2k25 #DataCast crew 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/FHNaGqtOFa
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 12, 2024
Ronnie touched on how tricky it is to rate the NBA these days given the wealth of talent at every level. He mentioned Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gradey Dick, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as some other players who have earned their own rating bump over the last few weeks. Nonetheless, to jump from a 73 overall to an 85 in just a few weeks is an incredible feat for young McCain.
Jared McCain has stepped up in a big way for the 76ers
The 20-year-old rookie has been the sole bright spot in the Sixers’ woeful season. With injuries keeping their three superstars out of the rotation, McCain has enjoyed a greater offensive load than one would expect the 16th pick to carry.
Between the 10th and 22nd of November, when Tyrese Maxey was on the sidelines, the rookie scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games. Two of those games saw him reach or cross the 30-point mark, which has helped McCain lead all rookies in scoring so far with 15.8 points per game.
His contributions haven’t gone unnoticed either, as he won the 2024-25 season’s first Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award recently. He became the first Sixers rookie to win the award since Ben Simmons in 2018.
Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, McCain had the best game of his early career, dropping a career-high 34 points and 10 assists in the loss. Though his recent stretch of games have seen the rookie struggle from three-point range, he still remains the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year race.
