It’s that time of year again, when hoopers and basketball fans alike gather around their consoles to see and pick apart the player ratings doled out in the latest edition of NBA 2K.
This year’s version of the game faced unusual circumstances as the 2020-21 version of the game is technically dropping before the conclusion of the previous campaign. Such is life in the year 2020.
Without so much as a 2020 offseason, let alone a rookie draft, the rosters themselves in the launch version of NBA 2K21 are in line with where they were in the most recently updated patch of NBA 2K20 but discrepancies among the ratings still exist. The game is geared toward next season, after all.
We’ve rounded up and sifted through the team-by-team overall rating data below. It’s on you to hit us here or on Twitter with the decisions you think the 2K developers nailed – and where they struck out.
Below the team-by-team grid, we’ve broken down additional trends, so scroll liberally.
The average player ratings were down across the board compared to last year which could indicate a slight game-wide recalibration but the numbers are indicative of how the teams stack up from top to bottom. Any generic average that weighs every single player on a team equally will be flawed, so don’t read more into this than you should, but it’s interesting to note the relative differences between the teams. It’s also a good reminder of just how scary the Warriors and Nets can be when fully healthy.
Average Overall Rating By Team
| Team | Average Rating |
| Warriors | 76.8462 |
| Clippers | 76.7647 |
| Lakers | 76.4444 |
| Nets | 76.4211 |
| 76ers | 76.3529 |
| Bucks | 76.1765 |
| Mavs | 76.0556 |
| Nuggets | 76.0000 |
| Raptors | 75.9412 |
| Celtics | 75.8824 |
| Kings | 75.8235 |
| Pacers | 75.7059 |
| Suns | 75.6875 |
| Blazers | 75.6471 |
| Grizzlies | 75.6111 |
| Rockets | 75.6111 |
| Hawks | 75.6000 |
| Magic | 75.5294 |
| Spurs | 75.4706 |
| Wizards | 75.1579 |
| Bulls | 75.1176 |
| Pelicans | 75.1111 |
| Heat | 74.9375 |
| Thunder | 74.8824 |
| Cavs | 74.8750 |
| Timberwolves | 74.7500 |
| Jazz | 74.6471 |
| Pistons | 73.7647 |
| Hornets | 73.6667 |
| Knicks | 73.1111 |
Biggest NBA 2K21 Ratings Increases
| Player | Team | 2K21 | 2K20 |
| Duncan Robinson | MIA | 78 | 67 |
| Devonte’ Graham | CHA | 79 | 69 |
| Eric Paschall | GSW | 79 | 71 |
| Brandon Clarke | MEM | 80 | 73 |
| Luka Doncic | DAL | 94 | 87 |
| Gary Trent Jr. | POR | 77 | 71 |
| Chris Boucher | TOR | 77 | 71 |
| Ja Morant | MEM | 85 | 79 |
| Kendrick Nunn | MIA | 76 | 70 |
| Fred VanVleet | TOR | 85 | 79 |
| OG Anunoby | TOR | 79 | 73 |
| Christian Wood | DET | 80 | 74 |
| Jonathan Isaac | ORL | 82 | 76 |
| Terence Davis | TOR | 76 | 70 |
| Jordan McRae | WAS | 74 | 68 |
| Rui Hachimura | WAS | 79 | 74 |
| Tyler Herro | MIA | 78 | 73 |
| Michael Porter Jr. | DEN | 81 | 76 |
| T.J. Warren | IND | 85 | 80 |
| P.J. Dozier | DEN | 72 | 67 |
| PJ Washington | CHA | 77 | 72 |
| Caris LeVert | BRO | 83 | 78 |
| Tony Bradley Jr. | UTA | 75 | 70 |
| Donte DiVincenzo | MIL | 77 | 72 |
| Troy Brown Jr. | WAS | 78 | 73 |
| Jaylen Brown | BOS | 84 | 79 |
| Moritz Wagner | WAS | 76 | 71 |
| Brandon Ingram | NOP | 86 | 81 |
| Zion Williamson | NOP | 86 | 81 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 84 | 79 |
Biggest NBA 2K21 Ratings Decreases
| Player | Team | 2K21 | 2K20 |
| Mike Conley | MEM | 79 | 87 |
| Kyle Kuzma | LAL | 76 | 84 |
| Draymond Green | GSW | 79 | 86 |
| JaMychal Green | LAC | 72 | 78 |
| Al Horford | PHI | 80 | 85 |
| Dennis Smith Jr. | NYK | 72 | 77 |
| Blake Griffin | DET | 83 | 88 |
| Victor Oladipo | IND | 82 | 87 |
| Ed Davis | UTA | 72 | 77 |
| Marc Gasol | MEM | 77 | 82 |
