Welcome back! It was a crazy year last year, with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks facing off in an epic Finals... twice? You'll have to watch the livestream vod to see what I mean.
Here's a primer on what the league is, if you haven't been following along. But now let's dive in to the rankings for the upcoming year!
CONTENDERS
1. Atlanta Hawks - Forget everything you thought you knew about the Hawks; this is an entirely different team. Gone are Miles Bridges, Jaylen Brown, and Tyler Herro; in come Darius Garland, Kyrie Irving, and Jayson Tatum. Add in other good perimeter players like Desmond Bane, Josh Giddey, and Kevin Porter Jr., and they might have the most perimeter talent in the league. However, their bigs leave a bit to be desired. Jalen Duren and Mark Williams could be an amazing center platoon of the future, but they’re both below an 80 as things stand today. Lamar Stevens and Herb Jones are the other two “bigs” of note, and even they don’t pack a ton of size. This team is technically the best team this year, but they’re still a piece or two away from being truly complete.
2. Houston Rockets - What a difference a year can make. These Rockets were below .500 after the first third of last year, but turned things around in a big way. Zion Williamson and Kawhi Leonard are the headliners here, and the depth around them is embarrassingly good. Michael Porter Jr. and Tyler Herro are young and can score in bunches, and Jarrett Allen can protect them on defense. Julius Randle is back in his super-sixth-man role, and the rest of the bench are a bunch of young near-80s. The only question mark here is Kawhi’s status; he’ll play for this team for now, but everyone knows he’s got one foot out the door. If the Rockets can get a similar caliber player back to fill his spot on the wing, they might be the team to beat again this year.
3. Detroit Pistons - Ja Morant is still Ja Morant, and he's a killer number one option. R.J. Barrett was underqualified to be a second option last year, but now Zach LaVine is here to take that role. Now, Barrett is perfectly cast as a third scoring option who can play excellent defense. Wendell Carter Jr. is a solid starting big (on a nice contract, no less), and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Stewart are real nice backups, but that's about it for this team. Chris Duarte is a solid role player, but Kyle Anderson and Chimezie Metu shouldn't be getting all of the power forward minutes. If they can add one or two more bigs though, this team has what it takes to bring a chip to Motown.
4. Brooklyn Nets - The Nets have one of the more interesting Big 3s in the league with James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Karl-Anthony Towns. All of them put up really good counting stats in 2k, and all can create shots for themselves and others. Draymond Green is regressing, but is a vital defensive complement to them, and Cam Johnson is a nice 3-D wing with some youth to him to round out the starting five. Their bench gets real shallow real quick after De'Andre Hunter and Lauri Markkanen, but that top of the lineup is too good to ignore. If Harden is the borderline-MVP candidate he was last year, this team can upset anyone in the playoffs behind their stellar offense.
PLAYOFF LOCKS
5. Boston Celtics - Last year, the story here was how Nikola Jokic carried this team to the playoffs, albeit to an early exit as well. But now, the pieces around him are much more interesting. Jamal Murray is here to make this feel like the real life Nuggets, and Gary Trent Jr. is a solid 3-D shooting guard. Yet I think it all comes down to how good the forwards can be. Tobias Harris is in a perfect role for himself as an efficient fourth option playing next to a dominant rebounder, but DeMar DeRozan is the one to really watch. He shocked no one when he regressed a good bit in the off-season, but still, he put up excellent stats last year. If he can be the second offensive option and crunch-time assassin that he is in real life, this team could be a much tougher out in the playoffs this year. If he looks like a shell of himself, the ceiling for this team may still be capped. Their depth is a bit lacking too outside of Jakob Poeltl and Cam Reddish, but maybe a young player like Aaron Nesmith or Bryce McGowens can surprise us.
6. Toronto Raptors - Luka Doncic is a 98 overall. This team will make the playoffs, there is no question. The rest of the roster though... might be a little shaky. Paul George is still good, but as a regressing 86 averaging a whopping $46 million for 3 more years, his contract may be immovable. Mikal Bridges is a good player, and the rest of the roster (Aaron Gordon, Thomas Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Matisse Thybulle, Terance Mann, Oshae Brisset) is solid too. You can see the vision: surround Luka with a ton of switchy wings/forwards, and let him cook. But without another high-caliber co-star, I fear this team might end up resigned to the same fate as Luka's IRL team has the past few years after they attempted a similar team building strategy.
7. Hawaii Tropics - It’s tough to know what to make of this team. On one hand, they have all the offensive firepower needed to create a dynasty. Devin Booker and Brandon Ingram are an excellent, young 1-2 scoring punch. Cade provides a steady playmaking hand and an all-around game, and Andre Drummond will attract rebounds like he’s a black hole. A talented bench lead by Immanuel Quickley and Dillon Brooks means this team won’t be lacking when their stats rest, either. But the ceiling of this team may be best reflected in Paolo Banchero. If he is a true third star right away, this team will be in title contention. If not, they may be an early playoff exit.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder - This team still has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and Chris Paul. That's a scary trio. However, that team wasn't enough to get it done last year, and now that Butler and Paul are older, I doubt they get it done this year either. They should be good, but don't expect a Finals run unless they make a big move or two.
9. Phoenix Suns - There's been a ton of turnover in the desert, with the big 3 of Harden (FA), KD (trade) and Embiid (trade) all gone. However, De'Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo played very well for the Cavs last year, Anthony Edwards is probably their best player, and they added Keegan Murray at #4 overall. This team has a few good young stars, and is stocked to the gills with depth as well with guys like Malcolm Brogdon, Markelle Fultz, Kelly Olynyk, Nassir Little, and Daniel Gafford. They might not be true contenders like last year, but they're a playoff lock with a bright future.
10. Vancouver Grizzlies - This team might’ve been the favorite if they’d kept their core together, but they’re going to a much more youthful pivot around Steph Curry. Rudy Gobert and Fred Van Vleet are still here for now, but are on the trade block too. Outside of them, the best remaining players are Robert Williams and Tyus Jones; helpful role players, but not who you want as your second and third best guys for the long term. They’ve won every trade they’ve made, but unless they turn those assets back into another star, they might be wasting the twilight of Steph’s career.
11. Golden State Warriors - This team seems to want to contend right now, but it's unclear how they're going to do that. Kevin Durant is obviously a world-beater, and Simmons is a really good player who does everything other than score next to KD. But the next best players on this team are serviceable-but-not-spectacular bigs Bobby Portis and Jusuf Nurkic, and the bench is atrocious. KD and Simmons is a good start, but this team needs much more.
12. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks were one of the biggest surprises last year, and shouldn’t be overlooked. Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela are a really nice two-way duo. They added a few pieces in free agency too, and now boast a handful of 80ish players around their core duo, including Terry Rozier, Buddy Hield, Patrick Beverley, Josh Hart, Norman Powell, Mitchell Robinson, and Precious Achiuwa. None of those names really thrill you, and they’re definitely lacking in some size, but this will still undoubtedly be at least a very solid team.
PLAY-IN TEAMS
13. Orlando Magic - The Magic have been content to let their team grow organically, and that might be starting to pay off. Donovan Mitchell is still a stud, and Evan Mobley took a big jump from an 82 to an 87 last year. D'Angelo Russell and John Collins are some good starters around them too, but it gets a bit thin after that. Hamidou Diallo and Chris Boucher are still the fifth and sixth best players so far, and there's little to speak of behind them. Mobley and Mitchell are good, but not enough to carry a roster to contention.
14. New York Knicks - Bradley Beal is a scoring machine, and LeBron James alone would make this a team that no one would want to face in the playoffs, even if he was 50 years old. With Kyrie Irving last year, this team was a serious problem, and there's a reason they coasted to the finals. But once Irving left the Knicks in free agency, this iteration of the team was done for. They have no assets to replace him, and with Steven Adams their only other player in the 80s, it's clear they don't have the necessary depth to support their top two players. LeBron and Beal are both on the block, but interest seems to have been minimal for now, and the team isn't exactly swimming in draft assets either. Odds are this team will eventually find a taker for one or both of its stars, and quietly make their way down the standings.
15. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs took a shortcut in their rebuild to an extent, by cashing in their two best players for Joel Embiid. That might not be a horrible deal in a vacuum, but they also gave up the #4 overall pick along with it too. Their roster currently has a probable MVP candidate in Embiid, but Spencer Dinwiddie is the only player on the team even in the 80s. Embiid might put up 40 a night on this otherwise-threadbare roster, and he might have to.
16. Denver Nuggets - This team should've been ranked higher last year, but now that they traded Jayson Tatum, perhaps this middle-of-the-pack ranking is right after all. Still, they have a powerful young core of Jaren Jackson Jr., Lonzo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, and Miles Bridges all in the 84-87 range. That's even underselling their young talent, as their true blue-chipper is 81 overall, #2 pick Jabari Smith Jr. His A+ potential is what this team is banking on carrying them into the future right now, and if he ends up being as cracked as they hope, they might gain homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Their bench has a lot of youth at the guard spots, but not so much at the bigs, where they're currently relying on some aging vets. But still they have reliable depth across the board, and should be in good shape to at least make the playoffs.
17. Los Angeles Clippers - There’s not a ton to be excited about here, simply because almost nothing has changed. The starting five of Trae Young, Coby White, Jonathan Isaac, Christian Wood, and Nikola Vucevic is exactly the same. Drafting Trevor Keels is a nice add, but I don’t think adding a 76 overall is going to drastically change this franchise’s trajectory. Unless there’s a big shakeup, expect another mediocre season.
18. Chicago Bulls - The Bulls were one of last year’s biggest disappointments. They got themselves in such a hole that they had to deal Zion to dig themselves out of it. However, they now have a number of first round picks approaching double digits, and many star vets (Kristaps Porzingis, CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton) available to deal. No one else on the roster is much good, but as long as they still have those 3, they won’t veer into being truly atrocious.
19. Los Angeles Lakers - Similar to the Knicks, the Lakers were sent up the creek without a paddle when their star guard (Zach LaVine) left in free agency. Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Davis are a nice young frontcourt, and Andrew Wiggins is a decent piece too. But Corey Kispert is their best "high potential" young player, and frankly just their best guard in general, which says all you need to know. They should be around or above .500 with their current team, but once AD and/or Sabonis get moved, that's liable to change.
20. Indiana Pacers - Not really sure what the plan here is. They moved Jabari Smith Jr. and his sky high potential for a guaranteed second option in Jaylen Brown, but their only other good player is Deandre Ayton, so they're clearly not ready to win now. The fact that they also had to give up Tyrese Haliburton in the deal makes this a real head-scratcher. To make matters worse, Brown and Ayton are likely good enough to keep this team from another shot at a JSJ-level prospect, but not good enough to make the playoffs.
LOTTERY TEAMS
21. Philadelphia 76ers - Similar to last year, there’s just not a ton of high-end talent here unfortunately. SGA and Pascal Siakam are both nice pieces, but are certainly overtaxed as your first and second option. Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas are good starters, but they’re not winning you a ton of games by themselves. 76 overall Daley Terry is their fifth starter here, and even though they have a few good bench pieces, that’s not going to drastically change their ranking drastically.
22. San Antonio Spurs - LaMelo Ball and Jalen Suggs have both shown some progress, but Suggs in particular really struggled his rookie year. They have some toolsy young wings in Saddiq Bey, Patrick Williams, Devin Vassell, and E.J. Liddell. There's a good structure here, but sadly for LaMelo, they're still a ways away from having any serious team success.
23. New Orleans Pelicans - The Pels have some interesting pieces. A core of Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman, OG Anunoby, and Brandon Clarke has some upside. Mike Conley, T.J, Warren, and Klay Thompson are serviceable vets that can show the young guys the ropes, even if their contracts are borderline untradable. But when your best guy is an 82, good luck even being an average team.
24. Dallas Mavericks - Here's what was written about the Mavericks last year: "Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Green make for a young, fun backcourt, but that's about it. No one is getting too excited about Jerami Grant, Robert Covington, or Mo Bamba, and the bench has maybe one good player on it. Maxey and Green might become the next Lillard and McCollum... but not for at least two or three years. Check back then." Well, it's only one year later. You shouldn't be checking back here yet!
25. Minnesota Timberwolves - The Wolves lucked into the #1 overall pick, and promptly took the newest unicorn, Chet Holmgren. They also added five other players from the 2022 draft: Johnny Davis, Peyton Watson, Damion Collins, Nolan Hickman, and Tari Eason. They've wisely used their cap space to take on bad contracts, and have a metric ton of picks. However, Chet is the only guy even in the 80s, so unless he's got the #RegenJuice, this team should still be quite bad this year.
26. Seattle SuperSonics - Collin Sexton and Jonathan Kuminga are good players, and Sexton might even be a low-level star. Benedict Mathurin and Patrick Baldwin were good additions on the wing in the draft, and Derrick Rose is still a very accomplished 6th man. But like we said for the Pelicans, the best player on this team is an 82, and you can't expect much from a team where that's the case.
27. Portland Trail Blazers - There's scattered items here that could be useful on a good team, but none really cohere together. Their 3 best players are arguably Jordan Poole, Anfernee Simons, and Cam Thomas. All 3 can get a bucket for themselves, but none can create for others, and none can guard anyone. Poor Myles Turner might average 5 blocks a game and still have his team give up 130 a night.
28. Utah Jazz - Scottie Barnes and Keldon Johnson are a cool pair of young wings. Malaki Branham was a steal in the second round, and should immediately start for them at the 2. But do yourself a favor and try to not look at the rest of the roster.
TANKERS
29. Miami Heat - Things are better than last year, but not by much. The Heat are devoting about 2/3 of their cap to Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook, but oddly are choosing to keep both on the bench rather than play them or buy them out. Regardless, a core of Franz Wagner, Alperen Sengun, Onyeka Okongwu, and Terance Mann is… something. It’s not nothing. But the best one of those guys probably tops out as an excellent backup on a championship team. The Heat do have some extra draft picks now, which is nice, but they badly need to find a guy who can even pretend to be a franchise cornerstone. Not getting a single high-potential asset back for Kyrie might continue to haunt this team for a few more seasons, at this rate.
30. Charlotte Hornets - This team still stinks, but good on them for taking two swings for the fences in Dyson Daniels (who’s already their best player) and Jaden Hardy in the draft. That’s all I got. See you next year.
31. Washington Wizards - Davion Mitchell is notoriously bad at scoring in 2K, and unfortunately, he's the best player on this team. We might see him set a record for lowest FG% we've ever seen from a starter in this sim league before. That's something worth watching for! In all seriousness though, Jeremy Sochan was an excellent pick, and is frankly the sole reason they're not dead last.
32. Pittsburgh Ironmen - They surprised us all by being pretty good for a third of the year, behind a stifling defense. But it seems like that was just small sample size, as they promptly whiffed out of the window while they were driving despite not really changing anything. The Ironmen are hoping Shaedon Sharpe can be the guy to help turn this franchise around, and they do still have a ton of picks. But unless they suddenly decide to cash in their cache for some caszh stars, this team is still probably two years away from anything resembling a contender. If I had to describe the level of talent they have right now? Too small.