It isn’t easy to determine a rating for a rookie who hasn’t played in the NBA, but rookie superstar Victor Wembanyama is already breaking the mold.
We took a look at how Wembanyama compares to every other rookie in the video game for the past decade or so. We chose the top-24 players because it’s NBA 2K24 and Kobe Bryant, who wore No. 24, is on the cover.
Using the HoopsHype database, we were able to sort through every rookie rating in NBA 2K since NBA 2K10. These were the rankings for each player as they first entered the game.
It is worth noting that due to the lockout, NBA 2K12 did not include any of the rookie class (e.g. Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard) when the game was first released. Even once they were added to the game, however, none had a high enough rating to make this list.
Some honorable mentions whose debut ratings just barely missed the cut for our list and were rated a 77 include Anthony Edwards (2K21), Trae Young (2K19), Jayson Tatum (2K18) and Andrew Wiggins (2K15).
Meanwhile, some players who did not come close but have had tremendous professional careers include Nikola Jokic (68), Pascal Siakam (67), Giannis Antetkounmpo (60) and Rudy Gobert (52). So an original NBA 2K rating is not always the best indicator for future success in the NBA.
For what it is worth, the mean/median/mode for a rookie in NBA 2K since 2009 is between 71 and 72. So the following players who began their pro careers with a 77 or higher deserve some quick praise:
1
Victor Wembanyama
Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 84
YEAR: 2K24
2
Zion Williamson
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 81
YEAR: 2K20
3
John Wall
Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 81
YEAR: 2K11
4
Lonzo Ball
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 80
YEAR: 2K18
5
Cade Cunninghan
(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
RATING: 80
YEAR: 2K22
6
Markelle Fultz
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 80
YEAR: 2K18
7
Luka Doncic
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 79
YEAR: 2K19
8
Anthony Davis
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 79
YEAR: 2K13
9
Ben Simmons
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 79
YEAR: 2K17
10
Ja Morant
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 79
YEAR: 2K20
11
Deandre Ayton
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 2K19
YEAR: 79
12
Jalen Green
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 79
YEAR: 2K22
13
Karl-Anthony Towns
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K16
14
Paolo Banchero
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K23
15
Evan Mobley
Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K22
16
Brandon Ingram
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K17
17
Scoot Henderson
Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K24
18
Jabari Smith Jr.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K23
19
RJ Barrett
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K20
20
Marvin Bagley III
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K19
21
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K18
22
Brandon Miller
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K24
23
Jabari Parker
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K15
24
Josh Jackson
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
RATING: 78
YEAR: 2K18
