With the NBA season underway, fans are getting their first real on-court look at the members of the 2021 rookie draft class, which means it's time to take a look at what that means for NBA 2K22. Off the court, all 32 rookies from the first round of this year's draft are now playable in-game.
After more than a month now to dive into the game, players have had the chance to dig into things properly, and NBA 2K22's gameplay changes have been refreshing. One of the most exciting new features is the addition of a meter for attempting aggressive dunks or alley-oops. It can be risky and cause a higher chance of missing the dunk altogether, but it can be extremely satisfying and look spectacular when a high-flyer pulls one off. There are several players capable of that from the 2021 NBA rookie class.
It comes as no surprise that #1 overall pick Cade Cunningham slots in as the highest rated rookie. At 80 overall and only 20 years old, he is a great value pick to start a NBA 2K22 fantasy draft. Badges are king, so Cunningham starting off with a whopping 17 of them is impressive for a rookie. While none of his badges are defensive, he still has more than respectable perimeter defense and lateral quickness ratings. This should allow the Pistons' new franchise player to guard most guards and wings with no trouble.
2021 First Rounders' NBA 2K22 Ratings
Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley is another rookie that has been shining both on the court and in NBA 2K22. The 20-year-old 7-footer has a well rounded 78-overall skillset to go with great athleticism, which makes him a ton of fun to have on a team in the game. Silver Lob City Finisher is one of his 3 finishing badges in NBA 2K22, so he's a perfect candidate to test out the new alley-oop meter with. Overalls and number of badges for rest of the first round are listed below:
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons - 80 overall, 17 badges
- Jalen Green, Houston Rockets - 79 overall, 11 badges
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers - 78 overall, 9 badges
- Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors - 76 overall, 4 badges
- Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic - 77 overall, 12 badges
- Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder - 75 overall, 3 badges
- Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors - 75 overall, 4 badges
- Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic - 74 overall, 4 badges
- Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings - 76 overall, 10 badges...
- Ziaire Williams, Memphis Grizzlies - 72 overall, 3 badges
- James Bouknight, Charlotte Hornets - 74 overall, 2 badges
- Joshua Primo, San Antonio Spurs - 71 overall, 8 badges
- Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers - 73 overall, 3 badges
- Moses Moody, Golden State Warriors - 73 overall, 2 badges
- Corey Kispert, Washington Wizards - 74 overall, 6 badges
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets - 73 overall, 2 badges
- Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans - 72 overall, 0 badges
- Tre Mann, Oklahoma City Thunder - 72 overall, 3 badges
- Kai Jones, Charlotte Hornets - 72 overall, 3 badges
- Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks - 73 overall, 1 badge
- Keon Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers - 73 overall, 2 badges
- Isaiah Jackson, Indiana Pacers - 72 overall, 2 badges
- Usman Garuba, Houston Rockets - 72 overall, 2 badges
- Josh Christopher, Houston Rockets - 70 overall, 2 badges
- Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks - 71 overall, 1 badge
- Nah’Shon "Bones" Hyland, Denver Nuggets - 71 overall, 1 badge
- Cameron Thomas, Brooklyn Nets - 71 overall, 1 badge
- Jaden Springer, Philadelphia 76ers - 71 overall, 1 badge
- Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets - 71 overall, 1 badge
- Santi Aldama, Memphis Grizzlies - 70 overall, 1 badge
There are also a select few 2nd round picks that are making an impact for their team early in the NBA 2K22 season:
- 32nd pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Oklahoma City Thunder - 70 overall, 0 badges
- 35th pick Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans - 70 overall, 0 badges
- 38th pick Ayo Dosunmo, Chicago Bulls - 70 overall, 0 badges
- 46th pick Dalano Banton, Toronto Raptors - 69 overall, 0 badges
All rookies are available for use in NBA 2K22 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.