Considering heвЂ™s already an elite player, thatвЂ™s a far bigger compliment than insult.

The strides Wall made as a shooter vanished in the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, a humbling development that spoke to just how far he has to go to reach his immense, two-way potential. Not unlike Lillard, though, Wall is due for a new kind of scrutiny now that he and his teammates have established the Washington Wizards as Eastern Conference contenders. Wall made the necessary leap to All-Star in 2013-2014 that justified the oft-questioned max-level contract he signed before last season. If LillardвЂ™s meteoric rise from Weber State star to Portland legend is any indication, though, he and his teammates will be more than ready to overcome it. TheyвЂ™re the hunted now, and will meet a different challenge on a nightly basis as a result. No player in the league was better or more efficient down the stretch than the Oakland native last season, a fact driven home by an iconic shot you may remember:Д«ut 2014-2015 offers new challenges for Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard checks in as our sixth-ranked point guard, but weвЂ™re confident his clutch rating will bely even that exalted standing. Given that reality, his performance last season, and another season of wear and tear, this ranking seems appropriate. If the Heat are to rebound from a disastrous offseason and make noise in the Eastern Conference, theyвЂ™ll need Wade to perform like a star night-in and night-out. The 32 year-oldвЂ™s role will drastically change for the Miami Heat this season, as heвЂ™ll be afforded more respect by the defense and likely wonвЂ™t have the luxury of rest due to nagging aches. Lost on most given WadeвЂ™s underwhelming NBA Finals performance is that he was highly, highly effective in 2013-2014 вЂ“ when he was actually on the court. Without further ado, these are DimeвЂ™s projected top-20 players for NBA 2K15:

Our projected rating follows the playerвЂ™s name, with the difference between his final rating in last yearвЂ™s game and our projection noted in parentheses. No exclusive knowledge nor personal bias was used in compiling them, either. Note that these rankings were gleaned from considering the final player ratings of 2K14 and simple player analysis, factoring in progression and regression.

With the release of basketball gaming king NBA 2K15 less than a month away, we project the ratings for the gameвЂ™s top-20 players.

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