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 Phoenix Suns figure to be a fan favorite in 2K because they have three of the most dynamic scorers in basketball in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. In the real world, they have to show they can figure out how to balance each other and fit together (and get enough from the rest of the roster), but in 2K, it’s hard to find a more fun offensive experience than playing as the Suns. Defense is the question in 2K, as the Suns are dinged for an 89 defensive rating which holds them down at a 94 overall, as Durant and Deandre Ayton aren’t enough to sell the folks at 2K that this team can play at a high level on that end — as an aside, Bol Bol’s overall rating might be the wildest in the game compared to actual on court production.
Phoenix Suns: 94 OVR, 99 OFF, 89 DEF
Kevin Durant: 96
Devin Booker: 94
Bradley Beal: 86
Deandre Ayton: 83
Josh Okogie: 77
Bol Bol: 77
Eric Gordon: 76
Drew Eubanks: 76
Keita Bates-Diop: 75
Damion Lee: 75
Chimezie Metu: 75
Yuta Watanabe: 74
Ish Wainwright: 73
Jordan Goodwin: 72
Udoka Azubuike: 72
Saben Lee: 71
Toumani Camara: 68