After an offseason with no roster changes, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have their work cut out for them if they want to get the Los Angeles Lakers back into championship contention.
With the start of the season just around the corner, NBA 2K25 has begun their rollout of player ratings for their new video game.
They began with the rookies, where Dalton Knecht was given a 70 and Bronny James was given a 68. The additions of their two draft picks were the only changes the Lakers made to their roster this offseason, replacing Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Lakers go into the 2024-25 season with the same starting backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. That is not a bad spot to be though as NBA 2K25 rated both of them as top-100 players, coming in at an 81.
They are the third and fourth-highest rated players on the Lakers, of course behind James and Davis. They both fall in the top-10 as James will be rated 95 and Davis right behind him at 94, via NBA 2K25:
LeBron James is the 6th highest rated player in #NBA2K25 at 95 OVR! 👑@KingJames | #NBA2KTop100 pic.twitter.com/tKaLmyq1o8
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 26, 2024
Anthony Davis is the 10th highest rated player in #NBA2K25 at 94 OVR! 😤 @AntDavis23 | #NBA2KTop100 pic.twitter.com/PvTZAD4cRJ
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 26, 2024
Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the highest-rated players in the game at 97, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid at 96. James, Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum were all given 95s while Kevin Durant and Davis rounded out the top-10 at 94.
These ratings make sense as James and Davis are both coming off stellar years in which they stayed healthy despite their respective ages and wear-and-tear.
James and Davis were both named to All-NBA teams and then went on to represent their country, starring for Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris. During that run, James and Davis shined above many other superstars, showing that they are worthy of these top-10 ratings.
Things will be a bit more challenging for them on the Lakers this season as many other Western Conference teams improved this offseason while L.A. didn’t. That will put more pressure on James and Davis to stay healthy and perform at a high level, although if this summer is any indication then they will be up for the task.
Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal shares interesting take
When discussing what changes the Lakers should make this upcoming season, franchise legend Shaquille O’Neal shared an interesting take that LeBron James should defer to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves.
“If I was LeBron, being that I already have all the records, I would pass it to AD. I would demand AD — because listen, LeBron can still do what he do, but, ‘I don’t need to have the ball all the time. I don’t need to score all the points. So, AD I need you to score all the points. Austin Reaves, you can be No. 2. I can just be the old Magic Johnson-style point guard and keep everybody involved and just keep this thing going.’”
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