Too High? Too Low? Reacting to NBA 2K25’s Top 10 Player Rankings
Andy Bailey@@AndrewDBaileyFeatured Columnist IVAugust 27, 2024Too High? Too Low? Reacting to NBA 2K25’s Top 10 Player Rankings0 of 11
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Waiting for the reveal of and then picking apart the NBA 2K player ratings has become an annual summer tradition.
Fans of the NBA, players of the video game and the hefty group that checks both of those boxes love to get mad about who’s too low or too high. Occasionally, there might even be some consensus about a certain player’s rating being just right.
And following the release of the ratings for the game’s top 10 players, we’ll let you know exactly where each lands on that spectrum right now.
The determination, of course, is ultimately subjective, but past performance and a player’s age are certainly factors. Declaring someone too high or too low also has to account for where the rest of the league is today. A 94 may sound right for a given player, but it might actually be too low if someone worse than him is a 95.
Carefully weighing all of the above, let’s dive into the top 10 below.
Notable Omissions1 of 11
Victor WembanyamaPhotos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
Before we jump into the top 10, though, let’s take a look at a handful of players who, at the very least, have an argument to be in that group.
Anthony Edwards: 93
Given the postseason he just had (27.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists at 22 years old and on the way to a conference finals appearance) and the fact that he was just ahead of a notable Boston Celtic in Team USA’s Olympic rotation, there’s a case to be made for Ant.
Jalen Brunson: 93
He just finished fifth in MVP voting and made Second Team All-NBA, two honors that suggest Brunson is a top-10 player. He’s a bit more shoot-first than Chris Paul, but he may have officially taken the mantle of the league’s best feisty, undersized 1.
Devin Booker: 93
He was eliminated in the first round by Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves, but Booker may still be the smoothest, steadiest 2 in the NBA. He has career postseason averages of 28.0 points, 5.3 assists and 2.3 threes, while shooting 38.9 percent from deep.
Kawhi Leonard: 92
Yes, injuries are always a concern with Kawhi, but they probably shouldn’t be to the degree that his overall rating comes in lower than all of the above. When healthy, he’s about as influential on winning as anyone in the league.
Victor Wembanyama: 91
There is certainly a bit of projection here, but it’s hard to avoid with Wemby. As a 20-year-old rookie, he played at an All-NBA level and posted a basic statline (21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals) we’ve literally never seen from a rookie before. Would it really be all that shocking if we get a few weeks into the season and he’s a consensus top-10 player?
Beyond those five, there might also be reasonable debates to be had over Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Haliburton, Zion Williamson or a handful of others, but this isn’t an easy top 10 to crack. And we already have 15 or so worthy candidates.
So, with apologies to anyone who deserved a shout but didn’t get one, it’s time to take a look at the actual list.
Anthony Davis: 942 of 11
Anthony DavisAdam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Fans of the 29 teams that aren’t purple and gold may cry foul when they see that the Los Angeles Lakers have two players in the top 10 (spoiler alert, you’ll see LeBron James a few slides from now).
They just went 47-35 and got knocked out in the first round. That seems relatively underwhelming for a team with two top-10 players, but both deserve to be here (draw whatever conclusions that may lead to about their supporting cast).
For Anthony Davis, specifically, regular-season averages of 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals would’ve generated MVP buzz in earlier eras. Even in today’s game, which features bonkers production from several players, AD’s season was good enough to earn Second Team All-NBA honors.
And his plus-6.9 huge nerd plus-minus (a simple amalgamation of five catch-all metrics from around the internet) was tied with Tyrese Haliburton for seventh in the league.
All of that doesn’t fully encapsulate the impact AD has on individual games, either. Particularly on the defensive end, he remains a genuine menace who can both protect the rim and survive after switching onto guards or wings on the perimeter.
And though it looks like he’ll never recapture the magic of his jump shot inside 2020’s bubble playoffs, he’s still a dangerous offensive weapon as a rim-runner, second-chance generator and finisher.
Still, Davis will be 31 this season, and he has a long history of injuries. Ratings in NBA 2K aren’t reliant on durability, but wear and tear may start to slow him down a half-step or two in the near future. That, and the fact that a rising star like Anthony Edwards is a 93 may mean AD is just a tad high.
Verdict: Too high (but only by a point or two).
Kevin Durant: 943 of 11
Kevin DurantBarry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Speaking of aging concerns, those are probably even more pronounced for Kevin Durant, who turns 36 in September. And, again like AD, though Durant is coming off a remarkably durable season, he has an injury history that suggests he should slow down soon.
The thing is, he really hasn’t to this point.
On top of averaging 27.1 points with a well-above-average true shooting percentage in 2023-24, Durant is coming off an gold medal-winning Olympic run in which he often asserted himself as the alpha scorer on a roster that included LeBron and Stephen Curry.
And that scoring ability, which has long been the bedrock of his legendary game, figures to age better than that of most of his peers. Explosiveness certainly helps, but length and skill are arguably more important for KD. The former literally can’t go away before Durant retires, and it’s hard to imagine the latter disappearing.
With his jumper and its accompanying high release point, Durant figures to be able to score at a high level for at least a few more years, which obviously includes this one.
He’s also better with the ball in his hands than AD, and his playmaking numbers back that up. Since the start of 2017-18, Durant has averaged 5.5 assists.
So, even as age will likely sap Durant of some of his defensive versatility and impact, it’s more than safe to keep him in the league’s top 10.
Verdict: Just right.
Jayson Tatum: 954 of 11
Jayson TatumAdam Glanzman/Getty Images
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Jayson Tatum.
The 2K25 cover athlete won an NBA title in June, but his teammate, Jaylen Brown, won both Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP. He went to Paris for the Olympics, where he won gold with Team USA, but he was benched for the entirety of multiple games, and his playing time was a controversy throughout the tournament.
It all led to more uncertainty about Tatum and his place in the league’s hierarchy, which isn’t what you’d expect for someone with an active streak of three straight First Team All-NBA appearances.
That accolade, at least for Tatum, has a lot to do with durability, though. And while that’s valuable in the war of attrition that is plenty of awards races, it isn’t a huge factor in an overall player rating on 2K.
All-NBA nods come from the totality of a campaign. A player rating from a video game is more of an attempt to pinpoint how good a player is at that moment. And in a given moment, it’s pretty easy to justify going with Durant, Curry or LeBron over Tatum. It’s what Steve Kerr just did for the Olympic team. And while there are plenty of reasons to nitpick his coaching, that decision probably isn’t one of them.
Still, having Tatum in the league’s top 10 is obviously fine. He didn’t secure those All-NBA selections entirely from durability. He’s a three-level scorer who probably doesn’t get enough credit for his size, defensive versatility and burgeoning playmaking.
The 6’8″ Tatum can comfortably defend multiple positions, has averaged at least eight rebounds in each of the last three regular seasons and has averaged 5.9 assists over the last three postseasons.
Verdict: Too high (but only by a point or two).
Stephen Curry: 955 of 11
Stephen CurryRocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
For the first time in what feels like a decade, Stephen Curry started to look like an NBA mortal in 2023-24. His 26.4 points and 4.8 threes per game this season, as well as the absurd takeover in the last two games of the Olympic run show that he can still completely take over a game as a shooter.
He remains the most dangerous shooter in the world. And since that’s the most important skill in the game, his player rating is probably fine.
But Curry finished his most recent campaign just outside the top 15 in huge nerd plus-minus, thanks in large part to rough defensive numbers and a handful of other declines.
If Curry was just sliding as a rebounder, passer or ball-hawk, it’d be OK. But he slipped in all three areas, posting his lowest rebounding percentage since 2016-17, his lowest assist percentage since 2018-19 and his lowest steal percentage since, well, ever.
Depending on how you feel about ancillary contributions, those numbers, and the fact that Curry will be 36 this season suggest he may be a point or two high.
But again, nothing is as important as shooting. And Curry’s averages for threes per game, and the rate at which he connects on his attempts don’t even begin to tell the story on that front.
Curry and his unparalleled ability and willingness to move off the ball scrambles defenses like no one else in the league can. With even an average supporting cast (which is probably what he now has), his presence almost guarantees a top-10(ish) offense.
Verdict: Just right.
LeBron James: 956 of 11
LeBron JamesMatthew Stockman/Getty Images
LeBron James turns 40 in December. He has to decline at some point. Maybe. Right?
Of course, he has, at least to a degree. When you watch old highlight reels of LeBron in the 2000s or 2010s, it’s clear that he’s no longer gliding up and down the floor and exploding to (and often above) the rim like he used to. But he’s almost entirely made up for the slight decline in athleticism with improved shooting, craft and on-court awareness.
Over the last three seasons, his 6.7 box plus/minus isn’t too far behind the 8.2 he posted over the three prior seasons.
But again, that is at least a moderate decline, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see his game slip just a tad more. That doesn’t mean he’ll be outside the league’s top 10, but it wouldn’t be crazy to argue that his impact might lag a bit behind Durant’s.
So, even as LeBron’s rebounding and playmaking ability still make him one of the game’s more unique forwards, his range now seems closer to top 8-10 than top 5-7.
Verdict: Too high (by maybe a point).
Joel Embiid: 967 of 11
Joel EmbiidNathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
It’s already come up a couple times, but it’s certainly worth a reminder when talking about Joel Embiid: Durability isn’t (and probably shouldn’t be) a big factor in a player’s 2K rating.
And though he won MVP in 2022-23, when he was healthy, he was actually playing better in 2023-24.
His turnover rate was still a problem, but Embiid averaged 34.7 points in 33.6 minutes. He generated 11.6 free-throw attempts per game. He averaged a career-high 5.6 assists. And while he’s not the most mobile big on the defensive perimeter, he can still be a dynamic backline anchor.
There’s some question about how much of his game translates to the postseason. His career playoff effective field-goal percentage is 44th among the 47 players with at least as many shots over the same span. But in his most recent postseason run, though the efficiency was still off and he was eliminated in the first round, he averaged 33.0 points while dealing with a case of Bell’s palsy and still recovering from a knee injury.
The fully healthy version of Embiid is likely the league’s most unstoppable scoring force. His mid-range jumper has become a nightmare to defend. And though points are the foundation of his production, it’s far from the only way he impacts games.
2K having him just behind the game’s top trio is reasonable, bumping him onto that tier would be too.
Verdict: Too low (by maybe a point).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 968 of 11
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderCooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images
Last year’s second-place finisher in MVP voting, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, absolutely deserves his spot in the league’s top five.
He’s averaged at least 30 points, five assists and 1.5 steals in each of the last two seasons. In 2023-24 alone, he pulled that last number up to 2.0 steals.
And while it was once fair to wonder if his free-throw-heavy attack would translate to the postseason, it may not be now.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were knocked out in the second round, but SGA put up 30.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals in his first playoff run in this role.
He rarely looked sped up or rattled by the intensity of postseason basketball. And now that he has that experience under his belt, it’s easy to see his steady offense and aggressive defense getting him back into the MVP mix.
Verdict: Just right.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 979 of 11
Giannis AntetokounmpoPatrick McDermott/Getty Images
Maybe it was Greece’s underwhelming Olympic tournament (which had more to do with his teammates than him). Maybe it’s multiple underwhelming postseasons since winning it all in 2021. Maybe it was the coaching turmoil in 2023-24. Maybe it’s the fact that he missed the playoffs altogether with an injury in 2024.
For whatever reason, the general consensus on two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo seems to be a little lower than it should be (at least outside 2K).
Just this week, NBA legend Kevin Garnett claimed Giannis isn’t the best player in the Eastern Conference (and mentioned Tatum as a player who’s ahead of him).
But Antetokounmpo is absolutely a top-five player. And he’s probably closer to the top overall spot in the league than he is to sliding out of that top five.
He’s still in his 20s (at least until December). And he’s coming off one of the best individual seasons of his career.
Giannis averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks. He posted the best true shooting percentage of his career. And after his scoring efficiency underwhelmed in 2022-23 (at least by his standards), he led the NBA in points added in 2023-24.
His jumper is still a weakness, but Antetokounmpo cut out many unnecessary threes and mid-range looks last season. What remained was the relentless finishing and playmaking that have drawn him favorable comparisons to Shaquille O’Neal.
If he can stay healthy, especially through the playoffs, he’ll remind everyone how dominant he and the Milwaukee Bucks can be.
Verdict: Just right.
Luka DonÄiÄ: 9710 of 11
Luka DonÄiÄElsa/Getty Images
Even in an era that includes Nikola JokiÄ, there’s a very real argument that Luka DonÄiÄ has become the league’s most dangerous and consistent offensive engine.
Luka has been so good for the overwhelming majority of his career that we’re likely taking him for granted at this point.
DonÄiÄ just wrapped his age-24 campaign. Through the same age, no one had as many First Team All-NBA selections as Luka’s five. Bob McAdoo was the only player in league history who had more 30-point-per-game seasons than Luka’s two through 24.
And regardless of age, no one has ever had as many 27-8-8 seasons as the Dallas Mavericks’ playmaker. He’s averaged at least 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists five times. As has Oscar Robertson. The rest of NBA history has combined for five such seasons (from LeBron James, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Michael Jordan).
Luka is a metronome of outrageous production, and he’s slowly ironing out his few weaknesses, too.
In 2023-24, he shot a career-high 38.2 percent from deep. And while he isn’t likely to be known as a lockdown perimeter defender any time soon, his defensive rebounding, size and ability to stand up power players made him a plus in defensive estimated plus-minus for the first time in his career.
Some may nitpick the ball-dominance, shot selection and tendency to lose focus on D, but everything else keeps Luka very much in the “best player in the world” mix.
Verdict: Just right.
Nikola JokiÄ: 9711 of 11
Nikola JokiÄGarrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
JokiÄ appears to be in a three-way tie for 2K’s top spot with Luka and Giannis, but the game itself declared he’s atop the list. Clutch Points’ Tomer Azarly suggested the distinction may be found in the nitty gritty individual attributes that lead to that 97.
Identifying the top player, at least right now, shouldn’t be that complicated, though.
Over the last four years, JokiÄ has been pretty comfortably the NBA’s best player. In that stretch, he has three MVPs, one Finals MVP and a 13.0 box plus/minus that’s about as far clear as Giannis’ second-place 9.4 as Giannis is clear of 10th.
In those four regular and postseasons, he’s averaged 26.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks, while shooting 62.9 percent on twos and 36.5 percent from deep.
His Denver Nuggets have outscored opponents by 2,229 points with him on the floor in those 341 games, giving him the highest raw plus-minus, too.
A lot of that impact is obviously derived from an unparalleled combination of scoring, scoring efficiency and playmaking, but even JokiÄ’s defense has become harder to pick apart.
He’s a dominant defensive rebounder, who has a knack for making big plays and getting into passing lanes at the right times. Plus, he’s huge. And that alone can clog up the floor for opponents.
Simply put, JokiÄ is the best player in the world. And his 2K rating should reflect that a little more clearly.
Verdict: Too low (just make him a full point clear of second, for crying out loud).
