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NBA 2K19 player rating season is finally here. In preparation for the game's release this September, here's a list of every rating revealed via the NBA 2K Twitter account so far. The current list only includes a few names, but we'll be adding more names and details as they become available.
LeBron James [Los Angeles Lakers]: 98 overall. With a new team, LeBron's rating remains the same as its adjusted stats from last year. In other words, he'll be just as beastly on both sides of the court as you'd expect. Barring a huge disappointment in his first year with the Lakers, King James will still be King James.
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Jayson Tatum [Boston Celtics]: 87 overall. This small forward impressed fans during his debut season with the Celtics last year, and his overall stat is a reflection of the effort he's put in. Once again, there's once again no increase over 2K18, but that might change if Tatum continues on the path he's established.
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DeMar DeRozan [San Antonio Spurs]: 89 overall. Despite struggling through the playoffs, DeRozan still has a pretty solid player rating for NBA 2K19. It's the same as his latest rating in 2K18.
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Kawhi Leonard [Toronto Raptors]: 94 overall. Kawhi has a new home in Toronto, but he's still taking his skills with him. His player rating in NBA 2K19 is one point lower than last year's game, but he's still got the stat advantage over his trade partner, DeRozan.
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Donovan Mitchell [Utah Jazz]: 87 overall. Donovan Mitchell had a great rookie season with the Jazz this year, and he was exceptionally stellar in the playoffs. In his first year he's already smashed franchise records, so this strong rating is well deserved.
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Ben Simmons [Philadelpha 76ers]: 87 overall. Simmons is in lock step with the rest of the rookie-of-the-year candidates, but there's plenty of room for that number to climb with a strong season in the months ahead. There's a good reason why this guy is on the 2K19 cover in Australia.
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Karl-Anthony Towns [Minnesota Timberwolves]: 91 overall. Karl-Anthony Towns has been leading the wolves to victory over the past few years, and he'll be wrecking shop in NBA 2K19 too. having firmly established his dominance in the league, he's got a higher player rating than the rookies revealed earlier in the week.
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DeMarcus Cousins [Golden State Warriors]: 90 overall. Boogie makes his GSW debut this year, and he's doing so with an overall equal to his 2K18 player rating. With several strong years in the NBA, this one's not too surprising. In a Twitter poll Friday afternoon, players were split on who should have the better rating between Cousins and KAT. It looks like the latter ended up with a small advantage.
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Anthony Davis [New Orleans Pelicans]: 94 overall. Staying in lock step with Kawhi Leonard, we're getting another high rating for another multi-fasceted player. Davis has contributed to the Pelicans in a big way since his debut, and he had a career-defining season last year. Apparently it was enough to maintain his NBA 2K18 stat.
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Paul George [Oklahoma City Thunder]: 89 overall. George's numbers are dropping two points heading into NBA 2K19, but he'll still be a very important asset to his team. George's shooting stats fell off a bit this past year, so that may be the reason for the downward shift. That being said, this is a very capable athlete who could easily get back to 91 with a few months of solid performances.
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Kemba Walker [Charlotte Hornets]: 86 overall. Walker is up one point from where he ended up in the last roster upadte for 2K18, but some still feel this player rating is a bit of an injustice considering several rookies have higher stats. That's a tough break for an athlete who's had around 200 20-point games and just smashed a franchise record for free throws. Hopefully skillful play can bring that number up a little higher as the season goes on.
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Damian Lillard [Portland Trail Blazers]: 90 overall. Damian Lillard joins the 90-rating club up one point from his starter rating in NBA 2K18. This is a pretty agreeable rating for a player who was selected for the All-NBA First Team last year. Some might say he's a bit low compared to the rookies, but he'll still wreck shop on your roster.
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D'Angelo Russell [Brooklyn Nets]: 83 overall. Russell didn't exactly shake things up with his 40 percent shooting stats last year, but he still managed to gain three points on his starter rating for NBA 2K18. His ratings suggest we'll probably see lots of good to decent players in the low 80s range. Oh, and his tattoos will be added in a future screenshot.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo [Milwaukee Bucks]: 94 overall. The Greek Freak is one of the best players in the NBA, and his rating is a reflection of that. While it probably would've been nice to see him crack the 95-rating threshold compared to the rookies, he'll still destroy most defenders with this stat. Now all we need is some added muscle definition in his player model.
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Jaylen Brown [Boston Celtics]: 84 overall. Even though Brown's face scan looks similar to the one he had in NBA 2K18, his overall rating has increased two points thanks to his strong performance for the team in green last year. Celtics fans will likely debate how Brown's rating should compare to Tatum's, but at launch it's Tatum with the three-point lead. It'll be interesting to how those numbers might fluctuate when the season starts.
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Luka Dončić [Dallas Mavericks]: 79 overall. Dončić begins his NBA career with the Mavericks this season, and he does so with a decent debut overall rating. This man proved himself as a rising star in the EuroLeague, but it remains to be seen if this third-round pick can compete in primetime. A 70s rating isn't fantastic, but there's tons of room to grow.
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Josh Richardson [Miami Heat]: 78 overall. Richardson was never able to crack an 80 overall rating in 2K18, and the curse seems to have followed him to this year's game as well. That's a bit of a shame for an elite defender with decent offensive skills. Maybe this is the year he'll make the milestone.
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Marvin Bagley [Sacramento Kings]: 78 overall. Bagley's rookie season starts this year after just one year of college play. He averaged about 20 points per game with Duke, so it'll be interesting to see how this newcomer delivers as the second overall pick in this year's draft. A 78 is basically the "good" benchmark for 2K19, but will Bagley push toward greatness?
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Deandre Ayton [Phoenix Suns]: 79 overall. Ayton was the first overall pick in this year's draft, and he averaged around 20 points per game in his single year of college ball with the University of Arizona. His one-point advantage over Bagley is likely due to his slightly higher draft position, and he's certainly one of the top players to watch for the season ahead.
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Spencer Dinwiddie [Brooklyn Nets]: 79 overall. This Nets point guard has been in the league for four years, but he still wans't quite able to crack the 80-overall rating threshold. His shooting percentages weren't great last season, but he still managed to do solid work on defense with a career-high average points per game. This is a decent rating for a good contributor.
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Trae Young [Atlanta Hawks]: 77 overall. Young was picked fifth in this year's draft, so he'll be making his NBA debut soon. He averaged about 27 points per game for the Oaklahoma Sooners, but he still has a lot to prove in the big time. This stat is a little low compared to other high draft picks listed above, but solid play could change that very quickly.
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E'Twaun Moore [New Orleans Pelicans]: 75 overall. Moore had a career-defining season in field goal percentage, rebounds, steals and points per game last year, and that was enough to add one point to his starting player rating from NBA 2K18. Moore is a skilled Guard who can score. To us, this rating is a hair too low.
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Blake Griffin [Detroit Pistons]: 86 overall. The Pistons forward had a solid season in 2018, but he's still lost one point over his starting NBA 2K18 player rating. Some might say this rating is a bit low for a 20-point scorer, but he's been leveled against the strong rookies with high starting stats. In time, this veteran will likely prove himself through experience.
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Clint Capela [Houston Rockets]: 84 overall. Capela is coming off one of his best seasons ever, but his rating has still been lowered from last year's game. Maybe developers felt he climbed too much last year and didn't mesh with the current ability scale. For an existing player scoring 14 points per game this rating is probably a little low, but Clint's tenacity suggests his stats will go up as the year goes on.
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Russell Westbrook [Oklahoma City Thunder]: 93 overall. After eight years in the NBA, Westbook is still scoring around 30 points per game. In that sense, this rating feels just about right from a stats perspective. The player model looks a bit weird with its oversized nostrils, but those details won't matter when he's draining threes for your team.
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Omari Spellman [Atlanta Hawks]: 71 overall. Spellman was the 30th pick in this year's NBA draft, so he's starting out with a pretty solid rating. He'll have to prove it in the big time if he wants to reach 80, but this is a fair reflection of his three-point skills and cool attitude in pressure situations.
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Tyus Jones [Minnesota Timberwolves]: 74 overall. The Wolves point guard had a career season last year, which means he was able to increase one point over his initial rating in last year's game. That model definitely looks familiar, but the stats have improved.
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Royce O'Neale [Utah Jazz]: 74 overall. O'Neale hasn't been given too much time to shine in the NBA, but, after his 19-point performance against the Suns, he's stepping into NBA 2K19 with a decent starting stat. It's also nice to see a properly fleshed out scan as well.
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Willy Hernangomez [Charlotte Hornets]: 76 overall. Willy fell victim to the trade deadline last year, so he wasn't really able to establish much consistency as a Hornet. With NBA 2K19, however, it's possible that may change. He struggled to find minutes at New York in his recent days, but he has the stats to be a real asset elsewhere.
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Isaiah Cannan [Phoenix Suns]: 72 overall. Suns fans haven't seen Cannan since last January, but he managed to impress during the short stint of games he did play. He impressed with his offensive skills last year as soon as he came off the bench. He's never been given too much attention, but, assuming his ankle has recovered, the 2K19 season his his time to show the world what he can do.
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Jaren jackson Jr. [Memphis Grizzlies]: 78 overall. Jaren was selected fourth overall in this year's draft, and he's coming into NBA 2K19 with a better rating than many established pros. He killed it on both sides of the ball while playing for Michigan State, which gave him top honors as a Big Ten superstar. Hopefully those accolades follow him into the NBA too.
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Tony Bradley Jr. [Utah Jazz]: 70 overall. We haven't seen toomuch of Bradley beyond his G League performance, but that doesn't mean he can't impress in 2K19. A starting rating of 70 will make that exceptionally difficult, but a few good games might bring up his rating a bit.
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Wendell Carter Jr. [Chicago Bulls]: 77 overall. Carter was this year's seventh pick, and he earned the honor in a single season at Duke. He averaged around 13 points and nine rebounds per game, positioning himself as a strong competitor in all facets of the sport.
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Anfernee Simons [Portland Trail Blazers]: 69 overall. Simons was the 24th overall pick in the draft, but he's still fresh out of high school. As such, his rating is a bit lower than you'd expect. If he can average 20 points per game like he did in his senior year, he'll have no problem bringing that stat up. In the broader picture, we're now able to see how low 2K19's rating scale goes.
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Taurean Prince [Atlanta Hawks]: 79 overall. Prince improved almost every aspect of his game last year, to the point where he probably could've used a higher rating than the one he got. That being said, if this forward continues on the path he's established, he'll hit the 80-rating club in no time.
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Danuel House [Golden State Warriors]: 69 overall. House makes his Warriors debut with a fairly low rating, but he earned his spot on one of the league's best teams for a reason. House knows how to come through for his team in clutch moments even if he's not a stats monster every night. It's a bit hard to recapture those types of players in a game like NBA 2K19, but he may see a ratings boost or two if he can deliver.
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Will Barton [Denver Nuggets]: 79 overall. Barton has been a loyal soldier on the Denver roster for a number of years, and he was rewarded for that with a stellar season last year. Sixtenn points per game weren't enough to push him to 80, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where he doesn't get there.
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Jared Vanderbilt Denver Nuggets]:69 overall. As the 41st pick in this year's draft, Vanderbilt won't exactly enjoy a huge ratings bump heading into the NBA. He only played 14 games in college with an average of six points as well, so he'll have to prove himself during the NBA 2K19 season.
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Bobby Portis [Chicago Bulls]:79 overall. Portis had a controversial season last year, but he still managed to play some great ball. He had a career-defining year in points per game and three-point percentage, paving the way for a three-point bump to his starting rating from last year. As long as he can stay on the court, the honor of passing that 80 threshold is well within reach.
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Justin Anderson [Atlanta Hawks]: 72 overall. Anderson makes his Hawks debut this year, and he does so with a starting player rating that's one point below his starter rating from last year. His recent performance has been pretty unremarkable, which explains the slight decrease.
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Frank Ntilikina [New York Knicks]: 74 overall. After a solid rookie season with the Knicks, this youngster has earned himself a decent starter rating in 2K19. Especially as a defensive player, Ntilikina has earned his keep. Now that he's acclimated to the system, we may see even more from him in the year to come.
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In recent days, the NBA 2K Twitter account has been posting new first-look player ratings around 12 p.m. EDT. We'll do our best to update this list with more ratings as soon as the tweets go out.
NBA 2K19 comes to Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC Sept. 11. Those who buy the $99 20th Anniversary Edition can enjoy it four days early, on Sept. 7.
What's your take on the revealed NBA 2K19 player ratings list so far? Are you happy with the stats for LeBron James and Jayson Tatum? Tell us in the comments section!
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