One of the most controversial debates surrounding the NBA world takes place not during the season, but when NBA2K releases its player ratings for the upcoming season.
It’s a hot topic not only for gamers, but also for players themselves. Often, players aren’t very receptive to their ratings, which only fuels the tension. The latest NBA2K25 ratings have been officially released, bringing mixed results for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Topping the list, unsurprisingly, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The MVP candidate earned a 97 overall rating, which puts him in a tie with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid for the second-highest rated player in the game. That’s a more than fair rating, especially since it puts him ahead of Stephen Curry and LeBron James.
Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams follow with 87 and 86 ratings, respectively, each ranking very close to each other as the second and third options on the roster. While some comparisons can be made to Victor Wembanyama’s 90 overall rating for Holmgren, both he and Williams have strong potential to be around that rating as the season progresses.
Alex Caruso (82), Isaiah Hartenstein (81) and Luguentz Dort (80) round out the 80+ overall ranking, which seems like fair grades for very high-quality role players. Six players in the group is a rating comparable to other NBA teams, though it may seem low for a former No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
From there, Aaron Wiggins (78), Isaiah Joe (77), Cason Wallace (76) and Jaylin Williams (76) round out the rest of Oklahoma City’s key pieces. It’s debatable whether some of these grades are a bit low — particularly Joe and Wallace, who both played like top players off the bench last season — but that may just be nitpicking.
There was certainly room for the Thunder players to get a small boost in viewership given their strong performance last year and the height of their expectations for the year, but it’s probably not much to seriously debate.
If an Oklahoma City player wants to have a higher rating, he’s going to have to go out and show 2K this season.
Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.
