Joel Auerbach/Associated Press
For a gardener, almost nothing is better than helping a plant develop from a seedling into a fully blossomed ode to Mother Earth. Sure, you can buy and enjoy a ripe plum at Whole Foods. But what could be more rewarding than finding a quality seed and nurturing it into an absolute delight?
NBA 2K20 MyGM and MyLEAGUE modes are, therefore, perfect for gardeners. If you’re the merchandizing type, you might prefer taking a franchise and trading around assets for veterans to try to win a championship now. If you’re less Billy King and more Bob Myers, then using your green thumb to build around young stars is probably closer to your modus operandi.
Here are some of the best young stars to plant and grow your franchise around in NBA 2K20’s MyGM and MyLEAGUE modes. And, since “young” isn’t a concrete term, we’ll use the American legal drinking age of 21 as our cut-off point.
Luka Doncic
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SG, Dallas Mavericks
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20 years old
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87 overall
Last year’s Rookie of the Year is an obvious starting point for an NBA 2K franchise, especially considering that the 6’7″ Slovenian phenom has the size of a wing and the ball-handling skills (six assists per game as a rookie) of a point.
De’Aaron Fox
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PG, Sacramento Kings
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21 years old
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86 overall
What De’Aaron Fox lacks in size, he most certainly makes up for in speed. That helped him deliver a sophomore campaign in which the young King upped his scoring to 17.3 points per game (on the back of a much-improved 37.1 percent three-point clip) and his assists to 7.3 per game.
Jayson Tatum
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SF, Boston Celtics
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21 years old
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85 overall
For some reason, Jayson Tatum’s shot selection deteriorated in his second season, and his field-goal and three-point percentages dropped to 45.0 and 37.3 percent, respectively. What’s nice about 2K, though, is we get to decide what shots he takes.
That means less fall-away mid-range jumpers and more of the sensible shots that helped the 6’8″ prototypical wing shoot 47.5 and 43.4 percent from the field and three, respectively, as a rookie.
Trae Young
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PG, Atlanta Hawks
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20 years old
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85 overall
The Rookie of the Year runner-up already plays NBA basketball like it’s 2K, so he’s an obvious candidate to be an absolute cheat code.
John Collins
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PF, Atlanta Hawks
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21 years old
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84 overall
John Collins is 6’10”, can jump out of the building and averaged 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds as a sophomore in 2018-19. He also knocked down 34.8 percent of his three-point looks. The Atlanta Hawks are essentially providing the blueprint for 2K managers to follow when building a young, fun roster.
Marvin Bagley III
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PF, Sacramento Kings
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20 years old
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83 overall
Marvin Bagley III is the Collins to Fox’s Young. A bouncy, 6’11” big with a relentless motor. Frontcourt buckets for years if you build around him in 2K.
Deandre Ayton
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C, Phoenix Suns
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21 years old
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82 overall
Traditional bigs are a rarity in today’s NBA, but at 7’1″ and 250 pounds, Deandre Ayton fits a unique mold and fits it well. A lot has been said of how little the Phoenix Suns featured him in their offense, but, like Tatum, that won’t be an issue for us in 2K.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
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PF, Memphis Grizzlies
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19 years old
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82 overall
Honestly, the kid might just be the best candidate to build your championship garden around. He’s only 19, but he’s 6’11” and shot 35.9 percent from three as a rookie while playing impressive defense.
