We are less than a month away from teams reporting to training camps around the NBA, and the official first sign that the new season is almost upon us is the annual release of the latest installment of the NBA 2K franchise, NBA 2K24.
While fans of the game will be concerned mostly with the gameplay changes and updated game modes, general NBA fans are always interested in seeing how the ratings folks at 2K grade out all of the players and teams in the league. Player ratings always spark debate, particularly among how they rank top stars and regarding players whose impact often isn’t fully felt in the box score — or, vice versa, those who put up big stats but might not always contribute to winning basketball. As far as team ratings, 2K has moved away from dramatic differences between top and bottom teams, as the lowest rated team in this year’s edition is an 86 OVR and they don’t even show team ratings in the game setup screen (you can find them in MySeason mode when picking through teams to start a franchise with).
The Lakers got off to a disastrous start last season before making a bunch of moves to right the ship, eventually making a run to the Western Conference Finals. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still leading the way, but a revamped roster boasts more shooting and better depth, with a handful of new additions this summer. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura re-signed on extensions, while Gabe Vincent was their biggest free agent signing, with some fliers taken on smaller deals with Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood to bolster their depth and hope someone pops in their role. Overall, the Lakers have eight players boasting a 79 rating or higher in NBA 2K24, led by James and Davis at a 96 and 93 respectively.
Los Angeles Lakers: 95 OVR, 99 OFF, 91 DEF
LeBron James: 96
Anthony Davis: 93
D’Angelo Russell: 82
Austin Reaves: 82
Jarred Vanderbilt: 79
Rui Hachimura: 79
Gabe Vincent: 79
Christian Wood: 79
Taurean Prince: 75
Cam Reddish: 75
Jaxson Hayes: 74
Jalen Hood-Schifino: 72
Max Christie: 71
Maxwell Lewis: 69
