In what had become easily the most memorable and tumultuous NBA offseason in recent memory, or maybe ever, the anticipation and impatience for basketball to get back on television has seldom been higher. As per the tradition of every offseason, the hard-working folks at 2k Sports are cooking up their annual iteration of the game of basketball in virtual form.
NBA 2k20 is practically right around the corner and fans of the game, and NBA players alike, cannot wait to take to the sticks to play as their favorite team and players, create their own MyPlayers, control NBA franchises in GM Mode and much more.
Ronnie Singh, known as “Ronnie 2k”, the curator of the NBA 2k brand, recently took to Twitter to inform the 2k community of their widely anticipated rating show, showcasing the official ratings of the 20 best players in our 2020 iteration of virtual basketball on the Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4. Ronnie and his game-developing partner in crime, Chris Manning, let their fans
It has become a yearly tradition of Ronnie’s this time of year to drop some exquisite in-game screenshots and debate-inciting numerical grades on the league’s most prominent players. And accordingly, shock, jubilation, and contempt are felt by each and all fanbases around the NBA as they catch wind of their favorite player either being snubbed from the 90 club, being severely underrated or having an inaccurately-high rating.
Nonetheless, check below to see where your favorite players lie on the best-in-the-game scale. With a new year approaching, some numbers may pop out more than others so do not (or do, they’re your favorite players anyway) be surprised how 2k rated the game’s best hoopers in their new game.
2k20’s 20 Best Ballers
Year after year, LeBron James has been unanimously dubbed the best player in the world, and according to NBA 2k, he is still considered to be the most lethal player in the video game.
News flash: he still is.
Coming into his 17th season, the astoundingly conditioned King of Basketball is the best player to use in the game. James will be a 97 overall, which is a one-point improvement from his 96 overall rating in 2k19. This rating follows his one-year hiatus from the top spot, since 2k19 standard cover athlete and 2018-19 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, heralded the spot a year ago.
Just below LeBron (but not by much) stands his new roommate of sorts in LA’s Staples Center in Kawhi Leonard. The two-way dynamo brought some extra company to California by acquiring Paul George, on the same exact night he committed to the Clippers over the Raptors and LeBron’s Lakers. Yet this year, he is more than ready and willing to challenge LeBron for the throne in LA. Leonard eclipsed his “system player” adage this year by winning a title over the behemothic Golden State Warriors in one of the most impressive individual postseason runs anyone has ever seen and has evolved into being a trusted, all-around threat that can transform a franchise into a contender in a matter of a season.
Leonard also earned a 97 overall rating, which means by year’s end, basketball fans of all sorts will hopefully be treated to not only the Battle of Los Angeles and a pantheonic battle for the ages but the first-ever neutral western conference finals in league history.
Right after those two is the current league’s Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo with a 96 overall rating. The Bucks’ homegrown superstar put up historically gaudy numbers this year, nearly earning both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors, as he had the second-highest defensive rating in the 2018-19 season (only behind the Heat/Trailblazer’s Hassan Whiteside).
It is debatable conveying the point that Giannis felt the sting of the cover curse, as he has his best season as a professional basketball player. Antetokounmpo took to social media on Sunday to follow one measly request to Bucks fans next year: do not call him “MVP” just yet.
Here is the complete list of the 20 best-rated players in NBA 2k20.
1. LeBron James, 97 overall
2. Kawhi Leonard, 97
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 96
4. Kevin Durant, 96
5. James Harden, 96
6. Stephen Curry, 95
7. Anthony Davis, 94
8. Paul George, 93
9. Damian Lillard, 92
10. Joel Embiid, 91
11. Kyrie Irving, 91
12. Nikola Jokic, 90
13. Russell Westbrook, 90
14. Klay Thompson, 89
15. Karl-Anthony Towns, 89
16. Jimmy Butler, 88
17. Kemba Walker, 88
18. Donovan Mitchell, 88
19. Rudy Gobert, 88
20. Blake Griffin, 88
NBA 2k20’s Best Dynamic Duos
Ronnie 2k and Chris Manning also announced the averaged total overalls of the league’s five-best dynamic duos at the beginning of the rating broadcast, which was live on Twitter. A league that changes more than a fitting room at a clothing store, the NBA was welcomed to two new duos for fans to enjoy watching and playing as in 2k20 when the game gets released to the public in September. So many superstars teamed up this year to create a new sense of leverage in the league, so that the era of big threes and superteams takes a backseat to the re-emergence of impactful all-star duos, seemingly all throughout the league.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie teamed in Brooklyn, the Klutch Sports business conglomerates in LeBron and Anthony Davis plan to sell out the Staples Center this offseason, Russell Westbrook reunited with his former Thunder buddy James Harden in Houston, and those are just to name a few of the superstars teaming up to contend for a title in the most open field to do so in nearly a decade. Check out below who made the top-five list of the best “Dynamic Duos” in NBA 2k20.
NBA 2k20’s Highest Rated Rookies
This year is just like every other year when fans of struggling teams can only hope that a rookie is talented enough to flip the fortune and future of their NBA franchise in their first years as pros. In the draft this year, we are being treated to one of the deepest draft classes at just about every position, and the kids that are coming into the league plan to make the most tectonic of impacts as they take to an NBA court for the first time. In the long wait for 2k20’s release, Ronnie 2k and Chris Manning additionally dropped the ratings for the top 5 best rookies to be in the game.
NBA 2k20 is set to release on all consoles (Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch) on September 6, 2019.
