With NBA 2k24’s release on the horizon, what are the early ratings looking like for Joel Embiid and the Sixers?
Nowadays, the NBA news cycle is a 365-day-a-year affair and 366 days on leap years. Shortly after the conclusion of the playoffs, free agency and summer league become the focus of the public eye. Every two years, there’s international basketball, whether it be FIBA or the Summer Olympics, to hold fans over until tip-off of the upcoming season.
Outside of official league announcements, there are always rumors to keep things interesting, such as Joel Embiid’s ambiguous social media captions. And for those who can’t get enough NBA content, the NBA 2K series is always willing to provide, like with NBA 2K24 and its recent ratings leaks.
The producers of 2K prefer to have the release of their player ratings rolled out slowly to make it into an event and build hype for the new game. On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 2K Sports revealed their first batch of player ratings for some of the league’s most popular superstars, including that of reigning MVP and Philadelphia 76ers‘ cornerstone Joel Embiid.
Ratings reveal for Joel Embiid and the Sixers
There’s good news and bad news here. The good news is, the Cameroonian is tied for second — with four other future Hall-of-Famers — in rating. The bad news is, he’s only behind his archrival Nikola Jokic who has taken claim as the best player in the world following his capture of the NBA title last season.
The Joker comes in at a 98 overall, two full points ahead of the rest of the field. Embiid comes in behind him — alongside Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo — at a 96. Other ratings that were revealed in the first batch include Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, and Jimmy Butler, all at 95, while Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard all trail closely behind at 94.
Since the first wave of players, 2K Sports has steadily added more stars to the confirmed ratings list. The number one overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft begins his NBA and 2K career at an 84, well ahead of Scoot Henderson’s 78. They also revealed their evaluations of two young star guards, Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The former clocks in at 92, and the latter just edges out Spida at 93. 2K Sports’s latest drops were for two elite second options, one in each conference.
The Joker’s right-hand man, Jamal Murray, earned himself an 88 with his strong play in the postseason following an extended absence due to injury. Alongside his extremely brief status as the most handsomely paid man in the NBA, Jaylen Brown also received an 89 rating from the sport’s foremost video game authority.
Outside of Joel Embiid, Sixers fans are still waiting on the ratings for the rest of their squad. 2K23’s latest update of ratings could be a good indication of where they’ll land, though, as Embiid also received a 96, with the rest of the Sixers following as such:
- James Harden – 90
- Tyrese Maxey – 84
- Tobias Harris – 81
- De’Anthony Melton – 78
- Mo Bamba – 77
- Patrick Beverley – 76
- Montrezl Harrell – 76
- Paul Reed – 76
- P.J. Tucker – 75
- Dewayne Dedmon -74
- Danuel House Jr. – 73
- Jaden Springer – 72
Some of these are nearly locks to change. It’s highly doubtful that 2K Sports will justify giving Trezz and BBall Paul the same rating after last season. It’ll be interesting to see if the Beard’s rating will climb or fall following another mercurial playoff run. And if Tyrese Maxey remains at 84, there should be hell to pay.
