The 5 lowest-rated Portland Trail Blazers in NBA 2K history
Per Game Stats in 2013-14: 4.0 PPG | 1.8 RPG | 0.8 APG | 41.7 FG% | POR record: 54-28
Of all the ratings worth contesting on this list, this could be the biggest. Depth ensured Will Barton never got a real chance to shine in Portland, but when he did, he certainly performed at a higher level than a 58 overall. Blazer diehards likely remember that 22-point, 13-rebound game at the end of the lost 2012-13 season.
It’s a story in itself that in his first year in Denver, he jumped into the 70s, and has sense been a rotation fixture. Blazers fans lament the Wes Matthews situation, and the Afflalo trade. This here is an underrated What If.
Per Game Stats in 2012-13: N/A; did not play a game in 2012-13
Hardcore early-2000s NBA enthusiasts likely remember Dan Gadzuric for his contributions to the Milwaukee Bucks during the Michael Redd era. He proved to be a rock-solid rim protector for the Bucks’ second unit.
By 2012-13, the Portland Trail Blazers were in an interesting situation, with no true rim protector; you likely remember the J.J. Hickson season. Just as telling, Gadzuric never played a regular season game as a Blazer. But it’s not likely he would’ve justified a higher rating at that point in his career.
Per Game Stats in 2003-04: N/A; did not play a game in 2003-04
It was somewhat rare to see players getting ratings this low during 2K’s infancy stages, but Chris Dudley was one player that didn’t quite get the benefit of the doubt.
Known more for his defense, as well as Shaquille O’Neal’s 1999 nuts-in-face dunk, Dudley was onto the last year of his career by the time of ESPN NBA Basketball’s launch for the 2003-04 season. He came just shy of the worst spot, which went to Travis Knight and Bruno Sundov (51 OVR).
Per Game Stats in 2002-03: 0.0 PPG | 0.5 RPG | 2.5 MPG (6 games) | POR record: 50-32
Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje ranks as a Pantheon all-time great name, but unfortunately, that’s where it stopped. One year prior to Dudley, Portland’s former 2001 second-round pick clocked in a 51 overall rating. To his credit, he was a guaranteed score every time he played, with 43 points in 44 games.
In a vacuum, Boumtje-Boumtje’s career was successful. He carved out a solid NBA career, succeeded at Georgetown, and played International ball. But, in NBA 2K3, he logged at 54 OVR.
The lowest-rated player in NBA 2K history nod is co-owned by two players: Byron Mullens and Brian Scalabrine (40 OVR) in NBA 2K12. Despite his incredibly mortal 47 overall nod, it is with great happiness that we can say Earl Barron doesn’t come close to the worst in 2K history.
Barron’s attributes are comically bad, but it’s interesting to wonder just how much leeway we can offer him. He shot 27.3 percent in Portland as a 7-footer, and 37.1 percent for his career. As an long-time NBA player, he’s in the 99th percentile in the world. So, perhaps there’s that going for him.