Was Celtics Superstar Disrespected By Shocking NBA 2K26 Ratings?
The popular video game NBA 2K26 has been releasing its top 100 player ratings recently ahead of its Sept. 5 release date. For those unfamiliar, players are graded out of 100.
On Thursday, the top 10 players were revealed, and some Boston Celtics fans were unhappy with Jayson Tatum’s rating.
Tatum received a grade of 94, tied for sixth with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Victor Wembanyama. Recent MVPs Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied for the top score at 98, while Giannis Antetokounmpo (97), Luka Doncic (95) and Anthony Edwards (95) rounded out the top five.
Celtics fans were particularly upset that Tatum ranked worse than Edwards, who’s far less accomplished than Tatum and arguably not as talented.
For example, Edwards has never been to the NBA Finals, finished higher than seventh in the NBA MVP voting or made an All-NBA First Team. Meanwhile, Tatum has been to two Finals (winning one), made four consecutive All-NBA First Teams and finished no lower than sixth in four straight MVP votes.
Statistically, Tatum was better than Edwards last year. He had more win shares and a higher field goal percentage, plus he averaged more rebounds and assists while scoring at a similar rate. Tatum finished fourth in the MVP race and made the All-NBA First Team, while Edwards tied for second and made the All-NBA Second Team.
Edwards is younger, flashier and more athletic, but it’s not clear that he’s a better basketball player than Tatum.
Meanwhile, Tatum deserves to be rated higher than the 40-year-old James and 37-year-old Curry, both of whom are still great but well past their primes. He’s also more polished than Wembanyama, who’s only been in the league for two years and has yet to receive an MVP vote or All-NBA selection.
Boston fans have argued that Tatum is underrated nationally and doesn’t get the credit he deserves, and the latest NBA 2K ratings are just the latest evidence of that.