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It is that time of the year again, with the latest iteration of the NBA 2K series just around the corner. NBA 2K26 has an official release date of September 5, and player ratings have already been released in phases.
Like every year, the release has led to passionate debates across the board about the players who have been grossly underrated, as well as those who may have received ratings higher than what they deserved. For the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic leads the way with 95, while James is rated 94.
Austin Reaves is the third-highest rated player in the Lakers’ roster with a rating of 85, with DeAndre Ayton and Rui Hachimura following him at 81. All the other cards have received ratings of less than 80, with Bronny James being the lowest at 68.
Straight off the bat, at least three of the above players deserved at least a marginally different number.
Is LeBron James a top-10 player in the NBA?
Considering ratings in the NBA are highly subjective in nature, we do not want to argue that either LeBron James or Luka Doncic deserves a different number. Rather, the argument is that there needs to be a bigger margin between their ratings at 95 and 94 at vastly different stages in their careers.
Last season, LeBron James averaged 24.2 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting at 57.4% from the field. There was no dip in the playoffs as James played 70 games in the regular season and returned with what was his 21st All-Star call-up.
Conversely, Luka Doncic produced 28.2 points, 7.5 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game and shot at 53% from the field. While the numbers do not differentiate the two enough, the eye test does.
Luka has become the leading star in LA with LeBron expected to find a new team once he hits free agency next season. Just a season before, Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks all the way to the NBA Finals, producing one of the most epic postseason runs in recent history.
One is nearing the twilight of a storied career, while the other is viewed as LA’s superstar for years to come. Conversely, considering LeBron has left behind his best years, his NBA 2K26 may not be a reflection of where he stands in the league, especially considering that he has been given just a -1 decrease from NBA 2K25.
LeBron is no longer one of the top-10 players in the NBA, and fans may argue that if Doncic deserves only a 95, James should be considerably lower.
Jake LaRavia gets a 76
While the LeBron-Luka ratings are obviously problematic, Jake LaRavia also produced a strong season for the Sacramento Kings showing considerable two-way potential. A strong determined defender with a streaky 3-point shot, LaRavia averaged 6.1 points and 1.3 assists last season while playing less than 20 minutes per game.
At just 23, he is a strong two-way player whose NBA 2K26 rating puts him below the likes of Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vinderbilt. LaRavia has consistently produced better numbers in fewer minutes per game than each of the above players and has the ability to guard the opposition’s best players.
That in itself warranted a higher number than 76, with the 23-year-old being the third player on the Lakers roster whose rating may cause confusion amongst fans.
