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 Minnesota, there’s plenty of excitement coming out of this summer where Anthony Edwards took on a starring role for Team USA and seems on the precipice of another leap. Karl-Anthony Towns being back healthy (and also playing well for the Dominican Republic) likewise bodes well for a team that desperately needs some time on court together to figure out how to coexist. The Towns-Rudy Gobert combo was shaky last year in limited minutes, but this is a solid roster with some very good high-end talent and if they can get into a rhythm and see Edwards take that leap, these ratings might end up looking a touch low.
Minnesota Timberwolves: 91 OVR, 91 OFF, 92 DEF
Anthony Edwards: 88
Karl-Anthony Towns: 85
Rudy Gobert: 84
Jaden McDaniels: 81
Mike Conley: 79
Naz Reid: 79
Kyle Anderson: 77
Shake Milton: 76
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 74
Troy Brown Jr.: 73
Jordan McLaughlin: 73
Luka Garza: 72
Wendell Moore Jr.: 71
Josh Minott: 70
Leonard Miller: 70