A brand new entry into the NBA 2K franchise has arrived in the form of NBA 2K23 and the reviews are strong, marking an improvement over the previous few installments. While these games are praised for a number of things, the ratings each player is given have always been a point of contention.
Real players like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have even spoken out against the ratings they were given, saying they should've been better. Whether they be a player's overall score or their rating for specific attributes, there is a handful that don't make sense in the new game.
Malcolm Brogdon (82)
This past off-season, Malcolm Brogdon was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Boston Celtics, moving him to a team that came close to winning the NBA Finals. After winning Rookie of the Year despite a lackluster first season, Brogdon has improved his game each year.
He's now a quality scorer and top-notch defensive player whose only real flaw is that he has been unlucky with injuries. So, having a rating as low as an 82 feels off. It's not a bad number but he should be better than three points lower than teammate Robert Williams or veteran Steven Adams.
Jarrett Allen's Interior Defense (82)
The Brooklyn Nets likely regret trading away Jarrett Allen a few years ago. They got back James Harden, who didn't stay with them for long, and Allen has blossomed into an All-Star center who averaged 16.1 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game last season.
Allen did that despite being just 23 years of age and while he can score and rebound well, his true success is as an interior defender. As a strong shot blocker and anchor to a great defense, Allen deserves to be ranked closer to the game's top 10 in this category.
Mitchell Robinson (81)
It has become a bit of a recurring theme in recent games but Mitchell Robinson seems to always find a way to be rated too high. That was the case with his NBA 2K21 rating, again in the following year, and now with the new game.
For the most part, Robinson is a good player who is still young and creeping toward being a consistent double-double threat. However, he's kind of plateaued or gotten worse in basically every category from blocking shots to shooting free throws.
DeMar DeRozan's Mid-Range Shot (90)
These days, the NBA seems obsessed with shooting three-pointers and filling it up from as far away from the rim as possible. Ever the contrarian, DeMar DeRozan is one of those guys who went against the grain and made his living shooting from the mid-range.
It has been said for years that DeRozan's mid-range shot was as lethal as anyone's in the league and he scored from there more than basically anyone. While it's understandable that the likes of Kevin Durant and Chris Paul have the highest rating here, DeRozan doesn't even crack the top 20, which is absurd.
Fred VanVleet (83)
A lot of the shine on the Toronto Raptors has worn off since their NBA Championship winning season in 2018-2019 and the departure of Kawhi Leonard but one player who remains as good as ever is Fred VanVleet.
He has gone from undrafted rookie to rotation player to key cog on a title winning team to an All-Star. This past season, VanVleet averaged a career-best 20.3 points per game, yet his overall in NBA 2K23 puts him alongside guys who are simply role players.
Kristaps Porzingis (85)
Kristaps Porzingis was thought of as a joke by some Knicks fans when he got drafted, only to perform at a high level for the franchise and become an All-Star. His move to the Dallas Mavericks was great on paper but he never clicked with Luka Doncic and became an afterthought.
Recently, Porzingis was acquired by the Wizards and while his numbers saw an improvement, he still doesn't feel like someone who should rank higher than Andrew Wiggins or De'Aaron Fox. He also shouldn't be as close to Anthony Edwards or Dejounte Murray as he is.
De'Aaron Fox (84)
De'Aaron Fox is quietly one of the league's most impressive players. He plays for the Sacramento Kings, who haven't been to the Playoffs in nearly two decades, which is part of why he is often overlooked. Those who have seen him play can grasp that his rating should be better than an 84.
This is someone who is likely the fastest player in the league and he averaged 25.2 and 23.2 points per game in the last two seasons, respectively. He did take some steps back last season (in three-point shooting for example) but he's still very good.
Montrezl Harrell (76)
It seems weird that Montrezl Harrell keeps bouncing around the league. After some great seasons with the Clippers, he ended up on the Lakers, Wizards, and Hornets despite playing well for everyone.
Last season, he put up his usual quality numbers of 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game which aren't much but are strong for a guy coming off the bench and playing less than 25 minutes per game. He shouldn't have a rating like All-Star players but he belongs closer to 80.
Rudy Gobert's Block (87)
Along the same lines as Jarrett Allen, Rudy Gobert is known for his ferocious interior defense. He's a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, made four All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive Teams, while also leading the league in blocks in 2017.
Though he hasn't led the league in blocks again since then, he has still averaged more than two per game in each following season and remained a top defensive player in each NBA 2K release. Even with those numbers, Gobert's 87 block rating is behind the likes of Isaiah Jackson and Charles Bassey, who barely ever even see the court.
Klay Thompson's 3 Pointer (88)
As noted, Klay Thompson has called out NBA 2K23 over his three-point rating and it's easy to understand why. An 88 seems impressive and is tied for the second-highest in the game but still feels like a slight against Thompson.
After all, Thompson is seen by many as a top five shooter ever and only behind teammate Stephen Curry currently. Although he shot a worse percentage from downtown than usual last year, he was coming off of missing two full seasons. Thompson should be above a 90 and not tied with Desmond Bane or Luke Kennard.
