Utah Jazz center Hassan Whiteside 2K rating: 77 (-1)
Evaluating the fairness of Whiteside’s slightly lowered rating is difficult. On the one hand, Whiteside is averaging 17.5 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes in 2021-22. On the other, he hasn’t exactly produced on that kind of level when he’s had the opportunity to.
In the six games Whiteside has played without Gobert this year, he’s averaging 12.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 30.7 minutes per game. Those are absolutely solid figures, and Whiteside has done an absolutely solid job of filling in for his star teammate.
They aren’t quite impressive enough for us to go to bat for the veteran bigman over his 77 overall rating though.
Utah Jazz forward Eric Paschall 2K rating: 75 (+1)
A lot of Utah Jazz players have had newfound opportunities recently. Out of all of them, Eric Paschall has possibly made the most of his.
His best performance came when the Jazz were woefully shorthanded against the Toronto Raptors. The Jazz lost, but it was no fault of Paschall’s. He hung 29 points on the Dinosaurs.
Shortly after, the former Warrior went for 18 and 7 against the jumbo sized Cleveland Cavaliers. In total, Paschall has had more double digit scoring performances in January than the rest of the NBA season combined.
Utah Jazz guard Trent Forrest 2K rating: 72 (+2)
Finally, we land on the Jazzman making the biggest leap. Trent Forrest has been establishing himself as a bonafide NBA player, and now, that’s reflected in his rating.
Statistically, Forrest hasn’t been lighting the league on fire. Nonetheless, close observers of the Utah Jazz know that his quick decision making, playmaking and stout defense have been valuable while the team weathers a rash of injuries.
On January 24, Forrest’s numbers matched his reputation as he scored 17 points on 8/12 shooting in a loss to the Phoenix Suns.
That’s the kind of night that could earn Forrest a better rating than 72 in time.
The Utah Jazz have bigger concerns at the moment than their NBA 2K ratings. If we had to guess, the players are probably worried about them anyway, and we can’t blame them.