Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is among the best of the best in professional basketball. During the 2022-23 season, he was once again an All-Star, flirted with an MVP campaign, and even earned All-NBA First Team honors. Will he remain aloft in rarified air heading into next season? The makers of the hit video game NBA 2K seem to think so.
Each year the game releases players’ overall rating, a number 1 to 100 which is a lump value for just how good an individual player is in the game. In 2K23, Tatum started the year with a 94 overall rating before jumping to a 95 in the middle of the season.
In NBA 2K24, Tatum is once again one of the top-rated players in the Association.
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/f2Alxq8TUQ
— Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) August 3, 2023
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic enters the season with the highest player rating in NBA 2K24 with 98 overall.
Reigning MVP and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has a 96 overall player rating, as do Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
Boston’s superstar is just behind this group, tied for the seventh-highest rating. Tatum will have a 95 overall player rating when NBA 2K24 launches on September 8.
Do the Celtics need to capitalize on this roster and make further moves, regardless of salary cost? https://t.co/nldwOQi5Xs
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 9, 2023
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler are also rated as 95s overall. This puts this trio all linked with the third-highest rating any player received ahead of the game’s launch.
The makers of NBA 2K have always been high on Tatum. Last year the game’s official season simulation selected the former Duke Blue Devil as the 2023 NBA MVP. Likewise, they tapped Tatum to be the cover athlete for the mobile version of the game when new features were announced.
The game updates throughout the year and players’ ratings can rise or fall as the season progresses. If Tatum thinks his 95 rating is too low, he’ll have to prove it on the hardwood first before seeing a change on the digital parquet.
There has been a fair amount of sticker shock over star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown’s recent supermax contract extension, but some analysts are also concerned about how the deal will … https://t.co/6qwo80vshB
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 9, 2023
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