After you’ve finished creating your player, he’ll be put into the line-up of the Rookie Showcase game. This is where you’ll have a chance to improve your draft stock by showing all the GMs in the league just what kind of contributor you can be in the NBA. Your player will be a part of the starting line-up, and will only come out of the game for brief moments. There’s plenty of time for you to make a name for your fledgling pro during the Showcase.
This is also the first time you’ll be able to see how you earn experience in NBA 2K13. Every game, your player will start out with a “C” rating as a teammate. Making good passes, playing good defense, taking and making good shots, and rebounding will earn you a better grade. Likewise, taking poor shots, turning the ball over, and allowing the man you’re guarding to score will cause your grade to decrease. Better ratings earn you more VC (NBA 2K13’s currency) to spend on upgrading your player.
During the Rookie Showcase, it’s important to put on a good show for the scouts, but it’s also important to get a good grade by the end of the game. Not only will you look more attractive to potential teams, but you’ll also earn valuable VC to give your player a boost just in time for his pro debut. The best way to succeed is to grab rebounds and play good defense. Getting rebounds should provide you with high-percentage shots on the offensive side of the court, so you won’t have to worry about taking too many risks with a low-rated shooter.
During halftime, you’ll get a quick glimpse at where your stock is in the upcoming draft. You can adjust your playstyle accordingly during the second half, and continue to follow the gameplan, or start focusing on key stats you’d like to reach double digits. Once the game is over, you’ll find your player in the locker room. There he’ll meet with three GMs of potentially interested NBA teams.
Each GM will ask you a few questions about how you fit with their franchise. Depending on how you feel about playing for a given team, you can either answer these questions honestly, or completely sabotage your chances with terrible answers so the team won’t draft you. No matter what team you end up on, you’ll be fighting for playing time at the start of the season, and will have to work extremely hard to break into the starting lineup during year one.
