Recreating high school phenom LaMelo Ball's 92-point game in 'NBA 2K17'
On Tuesday night, the Internet was flooded with lore of a high school basketball player ringing up 92-point God-thunder performance in a single basketball game.
An actual game, they said. There's even video.
This, I figured, was classic #FakeNews. There's no way there's an actual child out there dropping Wilt numbers, much less one with a name that sounds like a patron saint of shooting your shot. The only person who goes by "LaMelo Ball" is Dion Waiters in the throes of his most redemptive night fevers.
But I was wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvn4hK6VIxE
LaMelo Ball is indeed very real, and as he showed the basketball world this week, video game scoring does happen in real life.
The Chino Hills guard and younger brother of UCLA standout Lonzo Ball went 37-for-61 for 92 points against Los Osos High School on Tuesday night. He also had seven assists, because no one’s perfect.
The wildest thing, however, is the manner in which Ball went about getting to 92. The UCLA '19 commit scored inside, outside and from distant shadowlands where J.R. Smith and Simba won’t even go.
Simply put, LaMelo Ball is a breaker of basketball, and after his mammoth splash fest, I created him in NBA 2K17 to see if I could replicate his playing style in the game and hang 92 on some supremely confused A.I. opponents.
The following is my journey to digital shooting guard nirvana, starting with the making of a human heat check.
Creating LaMonster
Creating LaMelo in 2K's Create-A-Player was fairly straightforward.
I started by laying down the basic framework: 19 years old (youngest the game goes) 6’3,” 160 pounds. Long-limbed. Combo guard. Extremely undershirted.
https://gfycat.com/ShadowyInbornCaimanlizard
I then maxed out his shooting and gave him 21 Hall of Fame level badges in the pertinent categories, including Limitless Range. I also erased any and all of his factory defensive settings, because LaMelo Ball did not play defense on his 92-point night and finds your insinuation he might offensive.
After that, I dove into his mechanics, which was the most interesting and difficult part.
I wanted to give 2K LaMelo his real-life counterpart's signature release—a two-handed throw pillow toss that starts low, snaps high and is very, very quick.
https://gfycat.com/PlainBarrenIchthyosaurs
It's Curry-esque, in ways, but after some tinkering, I found that blending Kenyon Martin’s jumper with a perfectly titled preset called “High School 2” is the closest you can come to bringing LaMelo’s shot into 2K.
With that done, I put the final touches on LaMelo and dropped him onto the Bucks (green jersey, Chino Hills-esque) and surrounded him with some of the most monstrous rebounders in NBA history: Wilt Chamberlain, not-fat Shaq, Charles Barkley, etc.
Because the next part was actually doing the damn thing, and I wasn’t taking any chances about getting to 92.
The Game
For my 92-point run, I played against the Charlotte Hornets "All-Time” team, who are probably better than Los Osos High School. But it felt fair considering I’d teamed LaMelo Ball up with, you know, Wilt Chamberlain.
Ball was guarded by a 21-year old Baron Davis—not the greatest matchup, but sort of perfect when you consider real-life LaMelo Ball might be young enough to think Baron Davis is the guy on the frozen pizza boxes.
I set my team's defense to maximum cowardice—full zone, full gap—in attempt to minimize my opponent’s time of possession and maximize LaMelo's opportunities to pull up from 40 and spit in physics’ mouth. After that I changed the game time to reflect high school's eight minute quarters and it was game on.
1st Quarter: LOOK AT GOD
This is so easy.
https://gfycat.com/MindlessPiercingArkshell
Baron Davis should've stayed home and apologized.
Ball has 27 in the first quarter and it’s become quite clear he and everyone else are not the same species.
2nd Quarter: Not Great, Bob.
Well, alright then.
Things aren’t going quite as well as imagined. They’ve begun doubling LaMelo at half-court, which is a sound basketball idea but not a thing I figured the game would or could do.
But I continue to chuck, because it is all our people know. Side note: LaMelo and I have become one at this point. His success and failures are mine, and mine, his.
Ball has 41, two rebounds and zero assists as as we enter the half—a touch behind schedule, but nothing more buckets can't fix.
3rd Quarter: Trouble
This is bad.
I don’t know how it happened, but LaMelo and I have started looking for assists. We’re passing up perfectly-good, triple contested shots from the coach's line and dishing it to Wilt, like his 100-point ass needs more shine.
https://gfycat.com/FatWindingDogwoodtwigborer
I tell myself this will be good for the write-up, that people will want a little diversity in the rundown. I am wrong. I started this with the intent of chasing a 92-point dragon and now I’ve turned our offense into UNICEF. I must do better.
4th Quarter: Pride and defensive prejudice
Fatigue has set in and morale is low.
Ball’s energy level has dropped below the half century mark, and 2K is begging me to take him out of the game. They’ve placed a Gatorade cup icon next to his character to indicate he’s tired, and I, for one, believe this a poor time for capitalism.
I push on, cracking the 70-point barrier with two minutes to go. Shootin' ain’t work.
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In the last 40 seconds of the game LaMelo catches fire and pours in 12 points. He has 86 for the game when the clock stops with four seconds remaining. I swat the ball from Baron Von Pizza and go to dive on it and call a timeout, but nothing happens.
LaMelo just stands there, the Hornets recover and the game ends.
Ball walks off the court with 86 points, 10 steals, four rebounds and four assists, and I realize the final glitch was a personality choice. I realized I reduced LaMelo's defensive rating to such a state where he would rather not score if it means debasing himself with a defensive play on the floor. Sometimes poetry is heartbreaking.
And that is how it ended, unfortunately, I did not reach my goal of summiting the 92-point mountain—a disappointing result but one I think says a lot about Ball's big night.
https://gfycat.com/CharmingBoilingAnnelida
I had favorable digital settings and Wilt freaking Chamberlain shagging misses and still came short of 92 points.
So I guess LaMelo Ball doesn't put up video game numbers. He puts up video game plus numbers.
Dan is on Twitter. The future of shooting guards is now.
