NSL Insider - Premium: Vetted/Non Vetted

by Vitticus, updated on Monday, November 22 2021, 08:17 am EST

This is my 6th year playing with you guys. Half of you guys have been doing this far longer than I have. Today I want to talk about vets. I always thought the older GMs understood this. But I still see OG GMs still playing non-vetted players and wondering why they are losing. I even saw a GM blaming the sliders. Nah man, you are losing because you have 4 G League players in your rotation.

The message is simple:

(1) If you want to win:
a. Play vetted players (ie. Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo)

(2) If you want to lose:
a. Play non-vetted players (ie. Facundo Campazzo, Kevin Pangos, Jaden Springer)

Today I will point out which players in your rotation are non-vetted players. And you will see one, two, three, maybe even 6 reasons why your team is losing.

Ways to spot a Non-vetted Player:

Player does not have a face scan
It is the player’s first year in the league
It is the player’s second year in the league
The player still gets assigned to the G League
Player is barely getting minutes in the NBA

Reasons why NSL GMs play Non-vetted Players:

GM doesn’t know better
GM just really loves the guy
GM doesn’t have a choice
Player is actually a glitch

Teams excluded from this exercise:

Atlanta
LA Lakers
Phoenix
Utah

I didn’t want to include these teams because they are still in rebuild mode. So it’s highly likely that majority of their roster is non-vetted.

If I didn’t write anything on your team, then that means your whole rotation is vetted.

BROOKLYN NETS

Jarrett Culver – 11 MPG – Culver is back down in the G League, but he’s doing pretty well. He’s been in the league for 2 years now and has kind of looked like a bust. He can still bounce back, but it’s going to be awhile. And even if he does, you have to wait an extra year for the tendencies to update.

Theo Maledon – 18 MPG - Maledon has only been in the league for one year. I thought he was beginning to develop veteran tendencies in the NBA. If he continues to get opportunity, he may get vetted after the trade deadline this year.

Tyus Jones – 15 MPG – Dude has actually been in the league for 6 years now. 2K has rarely been kind to him. He might just be a broken player. He might actually look like a vet if you surround him with vets.

CHICAGO BULLS

Cam Thomas – 9 MPG – Cam is a rookie. He’s averaging 5 minutes in the NBA. He is also spending a lot of time in the G League. He could be the next Harden in 6 years, but right now he’s just Jordan McRae in 2K and he’s going to give you Jordan McRae results.

Didi Louzada – 13 MPG – He was drafted last year but he’s only played in 5 NBA games so far. He’ll be spending most of his time in the G League this year. So you know 2K will make him look like a G Leaguer.

Frank Ntilikina – 16 MPG – No Comment

Naji Marshall – 23 MPG – Naji Marshall had a great season last year. And he has a pretty good role in the NBA now. If you’re lucky, 2K could slip in some tendencies updates before the trade deadline. But most likely we will have to wait until after the trade deadline to see Naji actually become a useable player in 2k.

Timothee Luwawu-Cabarrot – 17 MPG – I didn’t even know this dude was still in the league. But he’s looking like a rook shooting 0.240 from the field.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Alex Caruso – 31 MPG – Caruso has been in the league for 3 years now. I think he finally got his face scan last year. He looked pretty decent as a backup shooting guard in the NSL last year. But right now he’s only shooting 0.250. Perhaps he’s not vetted enough to get starter minutes yet in 2K.

Obi Toppin – 18 MPG – Obi has only been in the league for a year now. His archetype is generally pretty good right out of the box. So it probably doesn’t matter if he’s vetted or not. He’s not going to hurt you if you give him minutes. We have seen other players succeed with this archetype in their first year like Onyeka Okongwu, Rui Hachimura, and John Collins.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Chuma Okeke – 16 MPG – Okeke missed a full year of development. He finally got to play last year and looked great. He hasn’t looked good this year in the NBA though. So 2K might change their minds about updating his tendencies this year after the trade deadline.

Dennis Smith Jr – 10 MPG – This dude has barely been hanging in the NBA. So 2K is going to make him look like a dude who is barely making rosters. He’s still looking like a rook shooting 0.200 from the field.

Elfrid Payton – 12 MPG – Elfrid has actually been in the league for 7 years. For many years he has looked like a vet. But right now he is shooting 0.250 from the field and it makes you wonder if he is a broken player now.

Jaden Springer – 13 MPG – Springer is a rookie. He’s spending most of his time in the G League. 2K is going to make him look like a G League player. You can tell by the look of his generic face scan.

Jordan McLaughlin – 18 MPG – McLaughlin has been a borderline G League player. And 2K has kept him that way.

Malik Beasley – 29 MPG – Beasley is actually a 5 year player. But his shooting is so bad in 2K right now. During slider testing, Beasley was putting the most inefficient stats during all stages of testing. This is just not his year.

DENVER NUGGETS

Bones Hyland – 22 MPG – Bones is looking electric in the NBA right now. But he doesn’t even have a face scan yet in 2k. That is usually the telling signs of a non-vetted player. His numbers are looking pretty decent though. He’s shooting 0.360 which is pretty good for a rookie volume shooter. So as a rookie, I guess you can say he’s kind of vetted. I imagine the only warts Digga will have to deal with are his turnovers. If you are happy with what he’s giving you right now, then keep giving him 22 MPG. But when you start losing games, he would be the first person I’d be looking at. I think he’ll get a major fix this year after the trade deadline because he’ll be playing meaningful minutes for a competing team in the NBA this year.

DETROIT PISTONS

Anfernee Simons – 16 MPG – Simons has actually been in the league for 3 years now and he has had plenty of opportunities in the NBA. I think Simons is actually a vetted player, but has looked bad because he’s on a bad bench squad. He’s only shooting 0.280 right now.

Jon Konchar – 16 MPG – Konchar was pretty much a 2WAY last year. 2K isn’t going to make him look like a player that has many responsibilities.

Ty Jerome – 16 MPG – Ty Jerome has been in the league for 2 years now, but he’s generally played on rebuilding teams. So 2K makes him look like a bench player on a bad team.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Ziare Williams – 12 MPG – Ziaire is a rookie. He’s supposed to be a long term project. So 2K made him look like a long term project. He’s getting a lot of run in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies which could speed up his development. But in 2K, he’s going to look like a long term project. He’s pretty long in game, but he’s only shooting 0.260.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Tyrese Maxey – 14 MPG – As a rookie, 2K got Maxey’s tendencies completely wrong. He got the tendencies of generic lockdown perimeter defender. This year they got everything right, except he has Colin Sexton level of tunnel vision. He’s actually like that in real life too, but he’s getting better.

Goga Bitadze – 19 MPG – Goga was coming up last year. 2K was ready to reward him with better tendencies, but then he got hurt. Dude is still a block king, but he bites on every shot like any other rookie would.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Corey Kispert – 19 MPG

Lamar Stevens – 17 MPG

Trey Murphy – 17 MPG

Usman Garuba – 18 MPG

All I got to say is Andrew has 3 Rookies and a G Leaguer in his rotation, but they are actually putting up pretty decent numbers. I’m just guessing their archetypes are very rookie friendly. Maybe it’s just that Giannis makes everyone that much better.

MIAMI HEAT

Dylan Windler – 22 MPG – Windler is in his 3rd year, but he missed a lot of time. He’s only played about 40 games in the NBA. I’m not sure he’s ever gotten a tendency update in the 3 years he’s been in the game.

Jordan Nwora – 31 MPG – I thought Nwora played like a vet playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. And I thought he looked that way in 2k last year for Pete. But so far this year he has not. Maybe it’s the losing that is making his numbers look like he’s still a rook.

Nathan Knight – 12 MPG – Nathan Knight is in his 2nd year but as a G Leaguer. I tested him out in sims and I thought he had very good tendencies. Then again, his position is fairly simple. Rebound and dunk.

Sterling Brown – 14 MPG – He has been in the league for 4 years now. He has barely been hanging in the league. He still provides defense and shooting. But so far he’s only shooting 0.250 for the Miami Heat right now.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Evan Mobley – 33 MPG

Precious Achiuwa – 31 MPG

Mobley is a rookie. Precious is in his 2nd year. But they both look great in the front court for Milwaukee. I guess as a big, it’s not very hard getting vetted. As long as you can defend and rebound, you can pass as a vet. I heard stories about how KAT and KP were nice out of the box as rookies. I also recall Deandre Ayton looking good as a rookie as well.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Lonnie Walker – 15 MPG – Walker is in his 4th year and hasn’t really put it together at this point. And it kind of shows in 2K as well. You can still use him for his athleticism on perimeter defense, but he’s going to put up rookie like inefficiency on offense.

Naz Reid – 12 MPG – Naz is in his 3rd year. But even if he was a rookie, a player of his archetype would be a bit more efficient. So I don’t know what’s up with this dude.

Scottie Barnes – 30 MPG – Barnes is a rookie. I know only reason Ethan is playing him 30 minutes is because he loves him so much. I tried to tell him that Barnes has no business in the starting lineup unless you are trying to lose games. Should probably put a 10 year vet ahead of him like Alec Burks. Barnes has been shooting 0.340 as a starter for the NSL TWolves.

NEW ORLEAN PELICANS

Keldon Johnson – 19 MPG – Keldon blew up last year as a sophomore and went on the play for the gold medal in the Olympics. But tendency wise, he still looks like a player from before any of this happened. Keldon is just a tendency update away from being usable in 2k.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Alize Johnson – 17 MPG - Alize finally broke out of the G League last year. He is still is a bench player but on a very good team. Even if he was a rookie, a player of his archetype would still be doing good, but seems like 2K kind of gave him a green light on shooting without increasing his success rates. As a result he’s putting up rookie like shooting efficiency of 0.210.

Ben McLemore – 18 MPG – Bmac has been in the league 8 years now, and he’s just still not vetted.

De’Anthony Melton – 25 MPG – I thought Melton looked like a vet last year, but this year he’s putting up rookie like numbers.

Immanuel Quickley – 27 MPG – I think Quickley is on the same track as Maxey. 2K has given him the tendencies of a non-passing volume shooter. This archetype generally comes with inefficient shooting.

Monte Morris – 11 MPG – Not sure what the holdup is on Monte. We have been waiting for him to get vetted for a while now. In the NBA, he plays like a vet, but we just haven’t seen the tendencies evolve in 2K.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo – 10 MPG – This dude is only shooting 0.009 right now. I guess its safe to assume you can toss this guy in G League with Theo Pinson and Axel Toupane.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Isaac Okoro – 14 MPG – Okoro might work if you surround him with offense. He’s only been in the league for a year now. The shooting is still bad, but he’s a great finisher. Until the shooting comes, he’s still a non-vetted player.

Oshae Brissett – 11 MPG – I thought Brissett had gotten a bit more vetted after the last roster update. He’s putting up pretty decent numbers. It is only his 2nd year in the league.

Payton Pritchard – 10 MPG – Pritchard is in his 2nd year and still looking very inefficient like a rookie.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Jalen Suggs – 23 MPG – Suggs is a rookie. He looked like a rookie throughout all stages of slider testing. We all love him too. But right now, 2K wants to make sure he looks like a rook. I think Gav understands this too as he has been playing Suggs in the 6th man role instead of as a starter. As a 6th man, Suggs has put up nice numbers.

RJ Hampton – 12 MPG – RJ is still in his 2nd year and still have a lot to put together. He’s getting plenty of opportunity, but he’s just not a useful player yet in 2k.

Vernon Carey Jr – 13 MPG – Carey hasn’t played much in the NBA. And it’s only his 2nd year. It doesn’t really matter if he is vetted or not because his archetype is pretty easy to use off the bench.

PHILADELPHIA SIXERS

Aleksej Pokusevski – 11 MPG – Poku had an amazing 1st year. I know he will get good when we get that tendency update right after trade deadline. But for now, he’s going to look like a rookie still. He’s only shooting 0.310.

Brandon Boston – 13 MPG – I like Boston long term, but not only has 2K made him look like a rookie, but they made him look like a 2nd rounder. He’ll be spending a lot of time in the G League this season. But I get it. Philadelphia only has 5 players on the roster with more than 3 years of experience. That means the entire bench will be loaded with inexperienced players. You don’t have a choice but to play some of these guys.

Day’ron Sharpe – 21 MPG – The rebounds are nice. He might actually be a glitch. But he could also be that guy that makes mistakes on switches and always ends up getting mismatched against a point guard. He could also be that guy that bites on every pump fake. He could also be that guy that fouls and sends opponents to the line for easy buckets as well. I don’t watch him, but these are rookie tendencies that 2K likes to insert into new bigs without face scans. Guys like Amidah Brimah and Ansejs Pasecniks. These are things I would watch for in determining whether I am happy giving minutes or not.

Landry Shamet – 17 MPG – Shamet blew up his first year, but then disappeared before 2K could reward him with nice tendencies. He’s been crawling under the radar for quite some time now. So he hasn’t really gotten much tendency love since he’s entered the league.

Matisse Thybulle – 30 MPG – I always been a fan of the defensive actions Matisse creates in 2K. But the lack of offensive development might be reason to keep him on the bench. Or it might just mean you have to scheme more offense around him. I think he’s a borderline vetted / non-vetted player, because the offense actually cancels out the defense making him a neutral.

Max Strus – 12 MPG – Strus is looking phenomenal out there in the NBA. But in 2K, he’s still going to look like a G League player. I think 2K will up his tendencies after the trade deadline, but they’ll be very conservative since he was a lower level prospect.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Facundo Campazzo – 10 MPG – Campazzo has never gotten the love. I don’t think any euro that came over ever got love except Milos Telodosic. Campazzo is looking good in the NBA, but 2K is just so lazy to update the euros.

Josh Hart – 24 MPG – Hart is on his 5th year, but he’s playing like a rook out there. He’s shooting 0.270 from the field right now.

Keita Bates-Diop – 18 MPG – Keita Bates-Diop has been in the league for 3 years now, but never really played meaningful minutes for any good teams yet. So 2K makes him look like a bench player on a bad team. He is shooting 0.330 right now.

Svi Mykhailiuk – 24 MPG – Similar to Keita, Svi has also never really played meaningful minutes for any good teams yet either. So 2K decides to make him look like Ty Jerome. Mykhailiuk did put up pretty good numbers for Portland last year when they had injuries. But right now he is only shooting 0.330. He shot 0.420 from 3 which is pretty nice. I still think he’s vetted enough to play bench minutes, but not starter minutes.

Tacko Fall – 16 MPG – Tacko is a G League guy. But he is a glitch. He’s putting up amazing numbers off the bench.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Justise Winslow – 20 MPG – Winslow has been in the league for 6 years now. But he’s been injured a lot. And it’s like because he missed so many games, 2K decides to erase everything that he used to be able to do before the injuries.

	NY	98
	BOS	108

	DEN	113
	WAS	118

	WAS	114
	SAC	99

	MIL	97
	WAS	117

	DET	115
	ATL	99

NSL Insider - Premium: Vetted/Non Vetted

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