Breaking down Mavericks’ NBA 2K25 ratings with Ronnie 2K: Why is Luka Doncic rated second? (2024)

NBA 2K recently entered the conversation to rank the top 100 players in the NBA using their popular rating system.

The popular video game franchise declared Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic as the second-best player in the league behind Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Following an unprecedented season and his first run to the NBA Finals, it’s Doncic’s highest rating to begin the season since he entered the NBA in 2018.

Doncic and his running mate Kyrie Irving are no strangers to the NBA 2K brand. Both Dallas guards’ are former cover athletes. Doncic graced the game’s coveted cover for NBA 2K22 and Irving was highlighted in NBA 2K18.

Those games are in the past, but Dallas’ backcourt duo are still among the highest-rated players in this year’s edition of NBA 2K25. Doncic is tied for the highest-rated player in the game with a 97 overall alongside Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Irving received a rating of 92. Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, this year’s cover athlete, is the game’s eighth-best player with an overall rating of 95.

Ronnie Singh, head of lifestyle & content marketing at NBA 2K, spoke with The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday about how the Mavericks’ ratings are determined and what he expects from the Western Conference champions this season.

“People are really excited that Luka is our second-highest-rated player,” Singh said. “There is very little argument that the guy ranked above him [Jokic], who’s got the same rating, should be there after winning an MVP. Obviously, Luka had an enormous year and a crazy run all the way up until the Finals.

“People don’t talk about it enough, but he was definitely hurt at the end of the year and he was playing through that. He looked like a champion, but hopefully he’ll get over that hump.”

Aside from Doncic and Irving, ratings for three other Mavericks were revealed. Newly acquired guard Klay Thompson, along with centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, received the same rating of 81. Maxi Kleber has a 74 overall rating. Thompson’s place on the top 100 is No. 85, Gafford is No. 95 and Lively falls at No. 98.

These initial ratings aren’t final because players have the ability to increase or decrease based on their performance throughout the season. The highest possible rating is a 99, while the lowest is a 67 – typically reserved for unproven rookies and two-way players.

Several outlets release annual NBA rankings, including ESPN, CBS Sports and The Ringer. NBA 2K decided to enter the fray this season not just to stir up conversation, but to allow players to see how they stack up against their peers, Singh said. The new format isn’t permanent, he said, and the former tradition of releasing a standalone rating with no context could return in the future.

Last season, Doncic began the season with a rating of 95 and finished the year with his current rating of 97. Irving began the year rated at a 90, a rating he jokingly disagreed with during last season’s media day, and maxed out at a 94 by the end of the NBA Finals.

Some could look at the game’s trio of Jokic, Doncic and Antetokounmpo and wonder how can a legitimate ranking be determined when they share the same rating of 97. Singh clarified that the developers at Visual Concepts finalize the ratings with a formula based on players’ stats from the previous season.

So while Doncic, Jokic and Antetokounmpo may have the same overall rating, their skillsets are vastly different, and their production from the previous season dictates the final ranking.

“A 97 isn’t that different from another 97, but they are rated a little bit differently,” Singh said. “It’s a formula that spits out a rounded number and they end up at a 97 visually, but from a ranking perspective, that’s how they stack up. The top players in the NBA — the top 25 guys — it’s never been better. That’s the challenging part.

“Even a few years ago, we didn’t have that many guys over a 95. You had LeBron [James] and you had Steph [Curry] most of the time, but that was about it. This upper tier is so nuts right now, so we’ve had to put more 90s and 95s in there, but this is probably a golden era in terms of talent in the league. Our top five are all international. All five guys are not from America, which is awesome for the league as well.”

There are also individual skill ratings, which contribute to a player’s overall rating. Irving has the best ball handle rating in the game with a 99, while Doncic is fifth with a 95. Thompson is the fourth-best 3-point shooter with a rating of 89.

Feedback, or more commonly backlash, from players about their ratings has become an annual tradition for Singh and the rest of the staffers at NBA 2K. Antetokounmpo recently expressed his displeasure with his rating via social media. Thompson had an issue with his 3-point shooting rating ahead of the release of NBA 2K23, and took shots at Singh on social media, but later apologized for his actions.

“The funny thing is Klay and I are actually from the same area,” Singh said. “It’s always been great with him. We actually spent one Father’s Day together during Covid, which is an old story I’ll have to tell you about another time. With Kyrie, I’ve gotten to work with him a ton during the 2K18 campaign. He and I keep in contact. He’s such a cool dude. Definitely different, but cool. Luka is still un-seriously serious, it’s kind of funny to work with him. He represented our cover so well.

“Those three personalities are going to be fun for Dallas. You just couldn’t put those three together from a personality perspective, but they’re all basketball so you know it’s going to work. I’m really excited to see how Dallas shapes up. I think Klay, in particular, is going to have a great year. I think all three of them are really going to jell well together.”

The NBA season won’t start until Oct. 22, but Mavericks fans can start playing as Doncic, Irving and the rest of the Mavericks virtually when NBA 2K25 releases worldwide on Sept. 6.

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.