'NBA 2K17' player ratings: Ben Simmons has highest rookie rating in 2K history

(Facebook/NBA 2K)The upcoming "NBA 2K17" will feature basketball player Paul George on the cover and will also be available in "Legend Editions" featuring Kobe Bryant.

In less than a month, Visual Concepts' upcoming basketball simulation video game, "NBA 2K17," will finally be released. However, there are already leaks of the player ratings circulating online.

According to Fox Sports, Australian point forward Ben Simmons revealed that his initial player rating for "NBA 2K17" is 79. However, the newly drafted player of Philadelphia 76ers's ratings for the game is expected to change as the regular season progresses. His ratings came as no surprise to some since he was the number one pick.

In the NBA 2K game history, Simmons received the highest ratings for a rookie. It can be noted that previous number one picks from the draft like Andrew Wiggins of "NBA 2K15" and Karl-Anthony Towns of "NBA 2K16" also received ratings of 77 and 78, respectively.

Even Miami Heat leaked their players' ratings for the upcoming game. The first five players received more than 70 points each. Goran Dragic got 78, Dion Waiters got 73 points, while Justise Winslow garnered 77 points. The last two players of the first five — Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside — both received  ratings of 86.

Whiteside received a rating of 85 last year. According to reports, the drop is not suitable for a well-performing player like Whiteside, and the number given to him could have been bigger. Reigning Rookie of the Year Towns rating of 88 was then criticized by some. If Towns got that number, Whiteside could have been given a much bigger score.

Meanwhile, tied for a rating of 76 are Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandan Wright. Names of the players that soon are expected to receive ratings include Kristaps Porzingis, Evan Fournier, Michael Conley Jr., Elfrid Payton, and Al Horford.

"NBA 2K17" comes out on Sept. 20 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

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