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).
In San Antonio, everything about this upcoming season is about Victor Wembanyama. In 2K, he earned the highest rating ever for a rookie at 84 overall, and the hype around him is immense. The question is just how good he is immediately, as Summer League showed there’s still plenty of work to do to refine his game, as well as how much support he has around him from a very young roster. The Spurs might end up being pretty bad once again in the real world, but also should be more fun to watch (and play as in 2K) thanks to Wemby’s presence.
San Antonio Spurs: 88 OVR, 89 OFF, 87 DEF
Victor Wembanyama: 84
Devin Vassell: 81
Keldon Johnson: 80
Tre Jones: 78
Jeremy Sochan: 78
Zach Collins: 78
Malaki Branham: 76
Reggie Bullock: 76
Devonte’ Graham: 75
Cedi Osman: 75
Charles Bassey: 75
Doug McDermott: 73
Blake Wesley: 73
Sandro Mamukelashvili: 72
Khem Birch: 71
Sidy Cissoko: 69
Julian Champagnie: 68
Dominick Barlow: 68
