The latest NBA 2K release has arrived, and with it comes the annual wave of arguments over player ratings. NBA 2K27 went live worldwide on Friday, a little more than a month before the NBA season tips off, and the Atlanta Hawks are in the mix as a “Tier 2” team.
Atlanta sits in a group that also includes Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Miami, Orlando, Golden State, Charlotte, Phoenix, and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Hawks’ team rating comes in at 81, which is tied with nine other teams. At the top of Atlanta’s list is All-NBA forward Jalen Johnson, who checks in as the team’s highest-rated player.
Here’s how the roster stacks up in the game:
Jalen Johnson-87 overall
CJ McCollum- 83 overall
Nickeil Alexander-Walker- 83 overall
Onyeka Okongwu- 81 overall
Dyson Daniels-81 overall
Lu Dort- 78 overall
Aaron Wiggins- 76 overall
Jock Landale- 75 overall
Devin Carter- 75 overall
Buddy Hield- 74 overall
Kingston Flemings- 74 overall
Corey Kispert- 73 overall
Asa Newell- 73 overall
Mouhamed Gueye- 72 overall
Ryan Nembhard- 72 overall
Jalen Wilson- 71 overall
Zuby Ejiofor- 71 overall
Henri Veesaar-70 overall
RayJ Dennis- 69 overall
Keshon Gilbert- 68 overall
There are a few spots where the ratings feel a little light. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu all have a case to be bumped up, even if none of those numbers looks outrageous. Daniels’ shooting and overall offensive game are always going to make life tougher in a video game setting, but Okongwu coming off his best season and landing at just an 81 stands out.
Kingston Flemings, meanwhile, lands at 74 despite not having played in an NBA game yet. That number makes sense for a player who was the No. 8 overall pick.
The real question, though, is who can climb fastest once the season starts. Flemings is the clearest name to watch. No one is claiming he’s about to rocket into the top tier of the team’s ratings, but he does carry All-Star level potential, and that gives him a real path to move up.
Aaron Wiggins is another player with room to rise. He’s expected to have a bigger role in Atlanta than he did with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and that kind of usage can lead to a boost.
There’s also a battle brewing at backup power forward. Whether it’s Asa Newell, Mouhamed Gueye, or rookie Zuby Ejiofor who wins that spot, the player who claims it could become a meaningful part of the rotation and has a good chance to add a few points to his rating over the course of the year.
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The frontcourt is where the intrigue starts, with Onyeka Okongwu and Cameron Landale already established in the rotation. What remains unsettled is the next layer of that group, and rookies Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar are among the names expected to be in the mix when camp opens. For a team trying to tighten up its roster rather than overhaul it, even a smaller battle like this could carry more weight than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]
