The best players in NBA 2K22

Every year, there are huge expectations in the NBA 2K community regarding player ratings. Some stars will have a worse rating compared to the previous edition and the ones who had a great season will have a better version in the top NBA game simulator.

With NBA 2K22 releasing tomorrow, Sept. 10, there’s no better time to know what players you should be using to play against friends, the ones you should keep an eye on when playing against, and, of course, the players you’ll want to sign in MyCareer or play with in MyPlayer.

If you’re an NBA fan, you’ll be familiar with all these names and probably expected them to make it into the top 10 of NBA 2K22. Here are the top overall players in NBA 2K22, according to the game’s official website.

10) Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers

The 31-year-old American point guard had another great season with the Trail Blazers. But, as usual, he could only carry the team so far and they were eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. Lillard relieved his frustration, though, with the U.S. national basketball team, helping them win the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Japan. He has a 94 overall rating in NBA 2K22.

9) James Harden – Brooklyn Nets

“The Beard” didn’t have the best season of his career by any means in 2020-21. He got off to a slow start with the Houston Rockets and he wanted to be traded, which came to fruition. But he ended dealing with injuries throughout his first season with the Brooklyn Nets and couldn’t help them too much in the playoffs. Nonetheless, Harden is still one of the best scorers in the league and has a 94 overall rating in NBA 2K22, mainly because of his reputation.

8) Luka Dončić – Dallas Mavericks

The Slovenian prodigy is setting himself up to be the league’s MVP. Dončić once again had a phenomenal season and tried his best to carry the Mavs in the playoffs, but the Los Angeles Clippers proved to be too much of a task in the first round of the Western Conference. Dončić has been awarded a 94 overall rating in NBA 2K22 and is also one of the game’s cover athletes.

7) Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers

The Cameroonian big man continues to establish himself as one of the best center/power forwards in the league. Although the 76ers had a bitter end to their season with a loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Embiid did his best to drag his team across the finish line, despite not being 100 percent healthy. He’s the seventh-best player in the game with a 95 overall rating.

6) Nikola Jokić – Denver Nuggets

Jokić was the MVP of the 2020-21 regular season. This sums up how good of a player the Serbian big man is. The Nuggets, though, couldn’t do much in the playoffs and were swept by the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. Jokić was even sent off in the last game following a flagrant foul two on Cameron Payne. That incident doesn’t erase what he accomplished last season, however, and he’s been awarded a 95 overall rating in NBA 2K22.

5) Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi is one of the best players in the league when he’s healthy. But he couldn’t assist his team in any of the Western Conference finals games against the Suns since he was recovering from a knee sprain. He’ll be one of the best forwards in NBA 2K22, though, since he has a 95 overall rating.

4) Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors

The American point guard averaged 32 points during the regular season, which is a lot but not enough to help the Warriors book a playoff spot. Curry is still playing at an MVP level, and for that, he’s going to be the best guard in NBA 2K22 with a 96 overall rating.

3) Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

The Greek Freak hit two birds with one stone in 2020-21 after becoming an NBA champion and being named the NBA Finals MVP. He led the Bucks to the title despite suffering a knee injury in the Eastern Conference finals, missing the last two games against the Atlanta Hawks. But he returned in the NBA Finals as if nothing happened. He recorded 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks in the last game of the finals against the Phoenix Suns and the Bucks won their first title in 50 years. Giannis will have a 96 overall rating in NBA 2K22.

2) Kevin Durant – Brooklyn Nets

This forward has been viewed by many as the best player in the league for years due to his scoring ability and clutch factor. Last season, though, he didn’t make it past the Eastern Conference finals, falling short to the Bucks in game seven despite putting up some amazing performances. He carried that form into the Olympic Games and was Team USA’s No. 1 star in the competition. Durant is the second-best player in NBA 2K22 with a 96 overall rating.

1) LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers

There’s only one king. LeBron continued to post dominant numbers throughout the season but the dream of a second ring with the Lakers was basically done the second Anthony Davis got injured. King James still hasn’t shown signs of his age (36), however, and he’ll be NBA 2K22’s best player with a 96 overall rating.