Coming off a dream (regular) season, the Cleveland Cavaliers may very well get some love from NBA 2K, their horrific playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers notwithstanding. NBA 2K26 is about to hit the shelves, both physical and digital ones, starting on the fifth of September, although those who want to access the game early by paying a premium can do so a week earlier.
For the Cavs, they did emerge as a dominant team last year, albeit in the regular season, and that body of work across an entire season should take precedent when it comes to NBA 2K ratings. It would be rather harsh for NBA 2K to penalize them for sputtering in the postseason when their team was no longer 100 percent healthy.
But NBA 2K has never been perfect, and it never will be, and there are bound to be misfires on the ratings department. Ratings aren't confirmed yet for all the players in the league, but 2K recently released its top 100 list — with Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander standing tall above everybody else. The Cavs' highest-rated player, for that matter, is Donovan Mitchell, who, at 93 overall, places just outside the top-10 at rank 11.
With that said, these are some ratings that NBA 2K misfired on for the Cavs.
Cavs star Evan Mobley misses out on the 90 club?
This may be splitting hairs, but it's a bit perplexing as to how Evan Mobley would miss the 90 club, instead ending up as one of the best 89 overall-rated players in the game. Mitchell understandably gets so much love, but this Cavs team would not have won 64 games in the regular season and blossomed into a title-favorite if not for the emergence of Mobley into a full-blown two-way star.
As if anyone needs more evidence that Mobley belongs in the 90 club, he did win Defensive Player of the Year and made plenty of strides on the offensive end of the floor at age 24. 2K certainly places an emphasis on potential when it comes to giving out ratings, hence the 89 for Paolo Banchero despite his efficiency struggles and the 91 for Ja Morant despite a decline in his play from two seasons ago.
And for Mobley, he did end up averaging 19/9/3 on 56/37/73 shooting splits, flashing an improved handle, a night-and-day change in his ability to shoot threes, and, most importantly, the Cavs, as good as they were, were even better every time Mobley was on the court — being five points better per 100 possessions, as per PBP Stats.
A lot of what Mobley does does not show up on the box score. He is fleet of foot and keeps up with many ballhandlers, and his ability to protect the rim from the weak side allowed the Cavs to do so much damage.
At the end of the day, an 89 overall is not insulting at all. But for someone who made the All-NBA Second Team last year, is one of the most talented all-around big men in the association, a focal point of one of the best teams in the league, NBA 2K has to give him a 90 or 91 rating at the very least.
No one batted an eye when he earned an All-NBA Second Team selection. But why on earth is he rated lower than the likes of Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, or Morant?
But Mobley is certainly good enough that his game should do enough of the talking, powering him into the 90-club early on in the season.
Should 2K have lit a fire underneath Jarrett Allen?
Allen was a major driving force for the Cavs during the 2024-25 season. He played in all 82 regular-season games and averaged 13.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest, combining with Mobley to power the Cavs' inside-outside attack.
However, in the playoffs, Allen wasn't exactly at his best. He was very good during the Cavs' sweep of the Miami Heat in the first round, but against the Pacers, he wasn't up to snuff. He did have his big statistical games, but the Pacers targeted him in pick-and-rolls, with Tyrese Haliburton carving them up on the interior.
During the Cavs' series defeat, they put up a defensive rating of 116.7, a mark that would have landed them at 26th in the entire association if it held for the entire season. By the end of the series, Allen was being yanked by head coach Kenny Atkinson, with Mobley being deployed at the five for more mobility and defensive coverage.
An 84 overall might seem very fair for Allen. Nonetheless, NBA 2K could have lit a fire underneath him and given him an 82, but that would have been too harsh.
