The Denver Nuggets are now a season removed from winning the NBA Finals, and they have lost some very talented players since that time (Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope). The team's starting five is still stacked with talent, though, which makes them a must-play-with team in NBA 2k25. The best basketball video game on the market is officially available, which means fans and players alike are going to argue about which ratings the 2k team got wrong.
The Nuggets have the highest-ranked player in the game in Nikola Jokic (97), and the three-time MVP is more than worthy of that honor. There are some ratings that 2k got wrong with Denver's squad, though, and in this article, we are going to look at which players were rated too high or too low after the team's polarizing offseason that was highlighted by the addition of Russell Westbrook.
Christian Braun has proven he should be rated higher than a 76
Last offseason, the Nuggets lost shooting guard Bruce Brown to the Indiana Pacers. This offseason, shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for the Orlando Magic. Those have been big losses for Denver, and Caldwell-Pope's departure is a big reason why the Nuggets were viewed as having one of the worst offseasons in the NBA in 2024.
The team still has a solid option to fill the starting two-guard spot, though. Christian Braun has been a key contributor since he stepped on the hardwood for the Nuggets as a rookie. He was the rare first-year player to see big minutes on a championship team, but it really came as no surprise, considering Braun has won at every level of basketball he has played at.
The Kansas product is an incredible defensive player. His 6-foot-6 frame is impressive for the shooting guard position, and he is a magnificent athlete, too. Those traits make his point-of-attack defense against both wings and guards impressive, and Braun has often been tasked with guarding opposing star players.
The shooting guard is also a great slasher on offense. While he is capable of knocking down catch-and-shoot opportunities, he thrives cutting to the basket. This is a perfect skill set to have on a Nikola Jokic-led team. Jokic has incredible vision and is one of the best passers ever. Braun will benefit from this and be on the receiving end of a number of entry passes and alley-oop throws this year, which means he will get a lot of easy baskets in 2024.
Braun is entering his third year, and he isn't likely to put up huge scoring numbers as the fifth scoring option in Denver's starting unit, so we aren't all that surprised that 2k only gave him a rating of 76. Role players on championship-caliber teams are incredibly valuable, though, so Braun should be rated higher than this.
Braun has done nothing but make high-level plays in Denver, and he does all of the little things to help the Nuggets win games. Without Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets are a much thinner team, which isn't good for their championship outlook. The starting unit might not skip a beat with Braun entering the lineup, though. With their current core, the starting five has always been among the most efficient in the NBA, and that shouldn't change with Braun being promoted.
Michael Porter Jr. (83) shouldn't have a lower rating than Aaron Gordon (84)
The Nuggets have a clear big four. The team is obviously led by the three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is quickly becoming one of the best NBA players ever. Jamal Murray is the Robin to Jokic's Batman. Murray, who is rated 87 in NBA 2k25, is already one of the best players ever without an All-Star appearance to his name. Murray is an All-Star caliber player; things just haven't lined up for him to play in the game yet, and he is more known for taking his game to new heights in the postseason anyways.
Jokic and Murray are clear stars, but Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon aren't far off. NBA 2k25 rates Gordon (84) one point higher than Porter Jr. (83). While we aren't saying that Porter should be rated higher than Gordon, they should at least have the same rating, because it is next to impossible to tell who is more important to Denver's organization.
Gordon is often tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player. He is also the much-needed above-the-rim play finisher on the team, and he is underrated as a playmaker. By doing the dirty work, Gordon is clearly an important piece in making the engine that is the Nuggets run.
It can certainly be argued that Porter Jr. is the better player, though. Any conversation about Porter Jr. starts with his shooting, as he is historically gifted in that department. Porter stands 6-foot-10 inches tall, so he is able to shoot over the top of defenders with ease, and he certainly has the green light in Denver. He is a career 41% shooter from deep, and he does it on high volume.
The team's small forward is much more than just a shooter, though. His defense and basketball IQ were both criticized early in his career, but he has improved drastically in both of those aspects of basketball since. Porter Jr. is not only improved defensively, but you can even argue that he is above average on that end. Not to mention, Porter Jr. is arguably the second-best rebounder in Denver's rotation behind Jokic.
If injuries didn't slow him down, many think Porter Jr. would have been a megastar capable of leading a team as a number one option. He has done pretty good for himself regardless, though. Like Jokic and Murray, Porter Jr. is a maximum contract player, and his rating should be at least even with Gordon's, if not higher. Gordon himself even agrees that Porter Jr.'s rating is too low.
DeAndre Jordan is no longer a 74
There was a time when DeAndre Jordan was a star. From 2014 to 2017, Jordan made an All-Star game, was elected to the All-NBA First-Team, was named All-NBA Third-Team twice, was a two-time NBA rebounds leader, and made the All-Defensive First-Team twice.
Jordan isn't that player anymore. On the Nuggets at age 36, Jordan is a veteran leader who serves more as a player-coach than a contributor to Denver's rotation. He only played in 36 games last year, totaling 396 minutes and 142 points. It was actually somewhat of a surprise that the Nuggets decided to re-sign him in the offseason.
In 2024, something will have gone wrong if Denver needs to count on Jordan to play in games outside of garbage time. While a 2k rating of 74 is by no means super high, it is higher than some of Jordan's Nuggets teammates who shouldn't be ranked below him. For example, Julian Strawther is only given a ranking of 73. Strawther wasn't perfect during his rookie season, but he showed flashes of greatness, and he is much more likely to be in Denver's rotation than Jordan is this year.
Vlatko Cancar and Zeke Nnaji are both only rated as 72s, too. Both players will likely be ahead of Jordan in Denver's big-man rotation this year. Cancar missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but he had impressed as a small-ball big before that, and the Nuggets might want to use him off of the bench in a role similar to Jokic's.
Nnaji, on the other hand, has been a disappointment in recent years, but that has also been predominantly because of injuries. Nnaji was a first-round pick not long ago, and Denver is paying him through the 2027-2028 season, so they will be incentivized to make him work.
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