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 Miami Heat enter the 2023-24 season riding high after a run to the Finals from the Play-In, but all eyes are on how their roster will change amid their pursuit of Damian Lillard. Adding Lillard to Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler figures to give them one of the best trios in the NBA — and, almost without question, the best fitting star trio we’ve seen in some time. What they give up remains to be seen, but this current 2K rating and roster feels like a placeholder, as the Heat and the league remains in a holding pattern on the Lillard trade demand.
Miami Heat: 96 OVR, 97 OFF, 94 DEF
Jimmy Butler: 95
Bam Adebayo: 87
Tyler Herro: 83
Caleb Martin: 79
Kevin Love: 77
Duncan Robinson: 77
Kyle Lowry: 76
Thomas Bryant: 75
Josh Richardson: 75
Haywood Highsmith: 74
Nikola Jovic: 73
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 72
Orlando Robinson: 70
Justin Champagnie: 70
Jamal Cain: 70
Cole Swider: 67
Dru Smith: 67
Jamaree Bouyea: 67
