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 Indiana Pacers come into this season with a fascinating roster, headlined by Tyrese Haliburton who was one of last year’s breakout stars. Bruce Brown joins the Pacers fresh off a title with the Nuggets and Myles Turner, in spite of annual trade rumors, is back with a new extension. The question for Indiana is what kind of strides will they see from youngsters like Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, both of whom made All-Rookie teams a year ago, and what they can cobble together defensively this season. The folks at 2K dinged them considerably for their defense, which struggles to slow opponents despite Turner’s presence at the rim, and their ability to shore up that end of the floor will determine if they take a leap into the playoff conversation in the East.
Indiana Pacers: 90 OVR, 96 OFF, 84 DEF
Tyrese Haliburton: 88
Myles Turner: 83
Bruce Brown: 80
Buddy Hield: 80
Bennedict Mathurin: 80
Obi Toppin: 78
TJ McConnell: 77
Andrew Nembhard: 76
Aaron Nesmith: 76
Jalen Smith: 76
Jordan Nwora: 76
Isaiah Jackson: 75
Jarace Walker: 74
Daniel Theis: 74
Ben Sheppard: 70
Kendall Brown: 69