Nothing can get the basketball debate going quite like the NBA 2K franchise. A quick internet search for the latest installment will bring up an assortment of very passionate opinions, most of which will focus on how mediocre the game is or how it has failed to evolve in any meaningful or acceptable way. And yet, despite the endless stream of complaints, there is no doubt that NBA 2K25 will be a smash hit, at least in terms of sales and revenue.
As the NBA and the 2K franchise continue to grow in parallel, they have become increasingly intertwined. With 2K holding a virtual monopoly on realistic NBA games, they have become the go-to authority on player and team ratings. As NBA 2K25 approaches, they have begun releasing ratings for the top 100 players in the game and the league.
These ratings have always been taken too seriously and have been the subject of much debate, but they are becoming more so. So far, 80 player ratings have been released and five different members of the New Orleans Pelicans appear in the top 100, but it is clear that none will be in the top 20.
Zion Williamson has appeared in 2K’s latest leaks, earning an overall rating of 88, which puts him in 27th place with four other players: Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Pascal Siakam. None of these stars are bad company, but it’s safe to say that Zion should be a level above his 88-rated peers, especially Sabonis and Siakam.
Zion is the only one of the group who could ever be a number one option on a championship team, aside from maybe Fox. There will be 26 players rated higher than him when the game comes out, but the ones that are confirmed are: Damian Lillard, Paolo Banchero, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Trae Young, and Tyrese Maxey. Dame and Jimmy Buckets are understandable, as they are both future Hall of Famers who have built up their resumes much more than Zion has thus far and haven’t shown much sign of slowing down yet. PG could be in that category, but over the last few years he’s proven to be more of a supercharged sidekick than a number one-caliber player. Banchero and Maxey are both far too unproven to be ranked above Zion at this point in their careers.
88 is lower than his starting rating on 2K24, 90, and his rating on 2K22, 89. Hopefully Zion will make 2K’s curators regret this decision come the start of next season.
After Zion, 2K lists Dejounte Murray as the next best Pelican at 86, followed by Brandon Ingram at 85, CJ McCollum at 84, and Herb Jones at 82. That wraps up the list of New Orleans players in the top 100, which has Keegan Murray and Jaden McDaniels at 80 at the bottom. There’s a good chance there are several other 80 players in the game, though, and maybe a few Pelicans. Neither Trey Murphy III nor Jordan Hawkins should be far behind. TMIII finished the season with an 81 in 2K24, and Jordan Hawkins was at 74.
