I am not saying nobody worked on gameplay, not at all. But we don't know what else they've done outside of adding a shot meter. Sure, there are gameplay impressions. But there is always the possibility that there is a placebo effect. Again, we have no idea what the gameplay and AI teams have been doing for the last year. There has been no transparency. That is why I'm wary. I'm sure they put a lot of time and effort into the game, but that doesn't mean that big issues that I had (me, personally) have been addressed.
Please keep in mind that I am not saying it
will be the same game with the same issues. I am simply saying that for me personally, the lack of a demo directly influences my decision to purchase the game. I purchased NBA 2k10-2k13 on release day based on the information released beforehand, and 2k14 about a month later based on impressions and track record. From a gameplay standpoint, I was not satisfied enough with 2k14 to warrant a blind purchase of 2k15.