NBA 2k19 Player Ratings - Top 10 Current Players

The latest game of the NBA 2k series, NBA 2k19 was released 4 days back on 7th September. It features the Greek Freak Giannis Antentokounmpo as its main cover athlete, along with a couple of other stars in different countries starring on the cover page in their home countries.

The ratings are mostly unsurprising, and one should always take these ratings with a pinch of salt when comparing these players' play in real life with each other. Some of the players are rated way too low relative to their real-life value to their teams, and understandably some youngsters have received terrific hype after a great playoff run.

Read on to find out who the top 10 players in this edition of NBA 2k are:

#10 Karl-Anthony Towns

The #1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Towns has been a dominant scorer for at least 2 seasons now. Although a 91 rating seems to be a bit on the higher side for him considering that he's still a suspect NBA defender, he is the best scoring center in the league today and for that reason, there's reason to see him rated this high.

He is the only center in NBA history to slash 50/40/85 shooting splits while scoring over 20 points per game. Indeed, because of Tom Thibodeau's insistence on exclusively using Butler during clutch periods, it often feels like he's missing out on one of the simpler tricks he has up his sleeve - getting Towns to post up.

Aged only 22 right now, the sky is the limit for the former Kentucky product.

#9 Kyrie Irving

Golden State Warriors v Boston Celtics

The cover athlete for NBA 2k18, the Celtics point guard was rated at 90 at the start of the 2017-18 regular season. He called for his rating to be increased to 95 at the time of the release of the game, and backed it up as his strong displays with a new franchise as the first option led to his rating getting bumped up to 93 by December last year.

Although he's done well to justify the rating, it seems facetious to rate him above Chris Paul even at this juncture of their careers.

As unstoppable a player on offense as anyone in the league, Irving's mastery of isolation basketball helps him be one of the most clutch players today, as well as historically. His shot over Steph Curry to break the deadlock with less than 1 minute remaining in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals is one of the most iconic shots ever.

Irving figures as an MVP candidate if he continues to play at his established level and the Celtics finish with over 60 wins and the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

#8 Russell Westbrook - 93

Oklahoma City Thunder v Utah Jazz - Game Six

The Brody continues to go as strong in the gaming world as he's been in the real world. On the verge of turning 30 in the space of a few weeks, Westbrook posted his second successive regular season with a triple-double average in 2017-18, becoming the only player in the history of the NBA to achieve this feat.

Westbrook will be stoked more than ever at the idea of leading a capable Thunder roster to a deep run in the playoffs.

The signing of Paul George in free agency has bolstered Oklahoma City's desirability as a free agent destination for the foreseeable future and gives Westbrook a clear second option to work with on offense and a premier wing defender to pair up with Andre Roberson.

His overall rating peaked in 2k18 following his first triple-double campaign which also led to him winning the Maurice Podoloff MVP trophy and his highest in-game rating of 94. I'm rather hopeful of him elevating his play to the stratospheric levels of his 2016-17 campaign.

#7 Kawhi Leonard

San Antonio Spurs v Memphis Grizzlies - Game Four

In an ideal world, Kawhi's popularity should have soared through the roof in the past NBA season after leading the Spurs to another deep playoff run. Instead, he injured his quadriceps during the summer, got misdiagnosed, fell out with the Spurs' front office and played just 9 games of the season while trying to stage an exit from San Antonio.

He eventually succeeded in his efforts, as the Raptors traded DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl for him and Danny Green. It remains to be seen how good he is after injury, but one can be optimistic about him considering that it wasn't a serious one that would have a complicated recovery regimen. Thus far, all reports point to the same thing.

A fit and firing Kawhi Leonard ranks right there alongside Scottie Pippen as the greatest defender at his position, and his ultra-refined, efficient offensive repertoire were the reason the Spurs had a 61-21 record in the 2016-17 season. I, for one, am stoked to see him finally take the hardwood at 100% this go-around.

#6 Giannis Antetokounmpo - 94

Boston Celtics v Milwaukee Bucks - Game Three

The Greek Freak will begin his sixth NBA campaign under Mike Budenholzer - the first elite coach that he'll play under during his time in the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks have, for long, been an underachieving franchise despite oodles of talent across the board, and their coaching can be cited as a primary reason for that.

He continued to make progress and improvements in his game, raising his scoring average for the 4th straight year last season and finishing among the top 5 scorers of the league. With the signing of Ersan Ilyasova and Brook Lopez, the Bucks now have a frontcourt that can bang with any in the league (given that Giannis is the default power forward during clutch time).

As versatile as they come, Giannis is one of the best bets for winning the MVP trophy at the time of writing.

#5 Anthony Davis - 94

Portland Trail Blazers v New Orleans Pelicans - Game Three

It is quite fitting that Davis has been recognized as the best big man in the game by the 2k franchise. But given his impact on the Pelicans' play and his elite abilities across the board, I think even a rating of 94 fails to encompass how truly dominant the Brow has been over the past couple of seasons.

He finished 3rd in MVP voting last year, but if he'd played the same way as he played following Boogie Cousins' injury in January (he averaged 30 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks per game in the final stretches of the season), it'd be a really hard task for MVP voters to give the award to anyone but him.

Davis is, in my view, the preseason favourite to win the MVP award over the rest of the capable field.

#4 Stephen Curry - 95

2018 NBA Finals - Game Four

The 3-time champion and 2-time MVP continues his reign at the top of the 2k ratings list for point guards. He was first upgraded to a plus-90 rating in 2k16, for which he was also the highest-rated point guard. This came in the wake of his first MVP campaign (2014-15), and was followed by his otherworldly campaign that led to him being named the unanimous MVP for 2015-16.

Curry, at the age of 30, is in the prime of his career and is shooting as well as ever, having achieved his career high in True Shooting percentage (TS%) in the 2017-18 campaign. The presence of Kevin Durant notwithstanding, he continues to be the lifeblood of the historically great Warriors offense that has steamrollered any and every team that it's met in the playoffs in the past 2 seasons.

Curry's highest rating of 96 is available on the '15-16 Warriors lineup that is now a new addition to the all-time roster list.

#3 James Harden - 96

NBA Awards Show 2018 - Backstage Photo Room

The reigning MVP of the league and the face of the Adidas basketball sneaker campaign, Harden is finally receiving the recognition from his peers and critics that he's deserved for a while now. On at least 2 occasions in the past, he had what seemed like a watertight case for a league MVP, but was overlooked for the award in favour of Curry and Westbrook (2015 and 2017).

The disrespect for him was so much that despite averaging 29 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists per game for the Rockets in 2015-16, he was unable to garner any All-NBA Team consideration. Harden is one of the most guily, skillful offensive juggernauts not just today, but in the history of the league. His combination of playmaking and scoring ability probably ranks above anyone else's in the league right now, as far as the statistics betray.

There's a good chance that Harden and Paul lead the Rockets to a Finals series and maybe a championship in the 4 seasons to come.

#2 Kevin Durant - 97

2018 USA Basketball Men's National Team Minicamp

KD is the best pure scorer in the game today, and in my mind, is right alongside the likes of Kobe, LeBron, Steph and Allen Iverson as the greatest scorers in the 21st century. A two-time defending NBA champion and Finals MVP, he is now the best two-way player in the game unless proven otherwise by somebody like Kawhi, Anthony Davis or Giannis.

Durant has, for long, been a staple on most 2k players' MyGM list of trades to make. His ability to shoot the lights out from over 30 feet, combined with his ability to be a facilitator, spot-up shooter and a cutter on the offensive end, make him a walking human cheat code of a player on the cheat code of a team that the Warriors have become.

His 97 rating this season is the highest he's ever achieved on the franchise, and for good reason, as he's in the prime of his career at the age of 30 going on 31.

#1 LeBron James - 98

I Promise School Grand Opening Celebration With LeBron James

Still at the peak of his game, King James has now been the best basketball player on the planet for the entirety of this decade. Averaging 34 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists through 22 playoff games this summer, he put on a display that prompted Steve Kerr to remark: "I'm not sure we've ever seen a player do things like he's doing this playoff run."

James is the most-hyped player ever to enter the league from high school, and he's lived up to the billing like nobody else. He's still faster than your team's point guard, stronger than your team's center and more durable and skilled than your favourite swingmen. Possibly the most versatile player in basketball history, he is statistically as good as the greatest to ever step on the hardwood and as such, is indisputably a top-5 player of all time.

Having signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for what seems to be the last memorable chapter of a fairytale career, King James will entertain the City of Angels for the next 4 seasons.