It’s almost time for another week of NBA 2K League action, and you know what that means: power rankings. In an attempt to make everyone angry sort through what should be a competitive season, we’ll be ranking each team based on a number of factors: results, quality of play, strength of schedule and so on. Results aren’t everything, otherwise we’d just copy and paste the league standings into here.
These are a composite ranking of our three writers’ own rankings, aggregated into one. Let’s get to it.
21. Wizards District Gaming, (0-4 regular season record, 1-5 overall record), last week: 20
From the big three of Demon JT, Dayfri and Boo Painter to… this. Season two has been a slog for the Wiz, and until it both figures out a lineup (go back to JT at point guard, please) and gets the most out of its best players, it will be stuck in the basement.
20. Knicks Gaming, (1-4, 2-5), LW: 14
iamadamthe1st’s struggles continue, to the detriment of his team. Goofy and IdrisDaGoat6 are the only bright spots in what has so far been a dismal season.
19. Lakers Gaming, (1-4, 2-5), LW: 19
It’s probably a good thing the Lakers got a bye week, because Kontrul needs the practice at point guard right now. Him stepping up is the only way Lakers Gaming steps up these rankings.
18. Pistons GT, (1-4, 1-6), LW: 17
Detroit had week four off, and they have a chance to make some noise in the tournament with a matchup against the up-and-down Raptors. But they need to recapture the magic that led them to an upset win over Bucks Gaming in week two.
17. Grizz Gaming, (1-4, 1-6), LW: 21
They did it. Somehow, they did it. Grizz Gaming finally picked up its first win of the season, tournaments included, with a surprise win over Bucks Gaming. Vandi is finally starting to live up to his seventh-overall pick billing.
16. T-Wolves Gaming, (2-4, 3-6), LW: 18
Minnesota won the battle of dysfunctional franchises with a victory over Celtics Crossover Gaming but dropped its next one to the undefeated Mavs. That’s at least enough to get a slight bump in these rankings, but how this team will play in the post-Hood-and-Vilvens era remains a mystery for now.
15. NetsGC, (2-4, 3-5), LW: 13
What once looked like the most complete expansion team has now lost four straight, even handing the Celtics their first regular-season win just a few days after two Celtics players said they’d be open to trades. Which NetsGC team will we see for the rest of the season?
14. Celtics Crossover Gaming, (1-4, 5-5), LW: 16
Things seem to have quieted down a bit in Boston. That still doesn’t change the fact this is a one-dimensional offense and a team that looks far removed from the Tipoff version of itself which made it to the finals.
13. Raptors Uprising GC, (2-3, 3-5), LW: 12
Moving to a Doza-free lineup provided a small spark at first, but this team still has a lot to figure out if it wants to make a playoff run.
12. Cavs Legion GC, (3-3, 4-4), LW: 10
The only team with both a .500 regular season and overall record. The definition of up-and-down to this point, the key to climbing above the even mark is improved scoring efforts from Strainer, who has cooled off after a hot start to the season.
11. Magic Gaming, (2-3, 4-5), LW: 9
Much like the Cavs, this is a team that looks like it’s on the verge of figuring it out, but it needs better shooting performances from its star rookie, in this case Reizey.
10. Hawks Talon GC, (3-2, 3-4), LW: 11
A surprise so far among the expansion teams. The Turn may not turn up as much success for them, however, with the obvious decision teams will make to take away DatBoyShotz’s favorite shotcreating post scorer archetype.
9. Jazz Gaming, (3-2, 4-3), LW: 15
What a difference Gliz has made. And don’t sleep on how much better this team looks when Yeah I Compete is an aggressive scorer. The Jazz finally look like they’re figuring out how to be good with all the weapons they have.
8. Kings Guard Gaming, (4-2, 4-4), LW: 8
A bye week and first-round game against a play-in team for one of the surprise squads of the season. BP has been better than advertised lately with his mesmerizing dribble moves, scoring touch and playmaking vision. BallLikeSeem has been well worth the second-round pick, too.
7. Heat Check Gaming, (3-2, 5-4), LW: 7
Heat Check so far hasn’t looked like the same team that made it to last season’s finals. JMoney needs to step up a little more, and a good way to do that would be a solid performance against Warriors Gaming Squad and Gradient this week.
6. Bucks Gaming, (4-2, 5-4), LW: 4
This team now has losses to Grizz Gaming and Pistons GT—of which the only wins between the two have come against the Bucks. A troubling trend. But make no mistake, this is still one of the best teams in the league.
5. Warriors Gaming Squad, (3-2, 4-3), LW: 6
Week four was the Warriors at its best and the Warriors at its worst. This team is much more talented than its showing against Jazz Gaming suggests. CB13 is the missing piece to the championship contending puzzle.
4. Mavs Gaming, (7-0, 8-1), LW: 5
Too low for an undefeated team? Maybe. You know a good way to fix that? Show you can beat the best teams. The Turn is the perfect place for the Mavs to do that.
3. 76ers Gaming, (3-2, 8-2), LW: 2
Don’t let that 3-2 record fool you: this is still one of the best teams in the league, one that’s still 8-2 on the season and the Tipoff champ. It’s redemption time for Philly at the Turn.
2. Pacers Gaming, (4-0, 6-1), LW: 1
It’s a shame to put the undefeated Pacers, who were number one last week and then had a bye, back down to two, but it’s just that the team above them has proven it’s not messing around and also has two of the best players in the league. A strong showing at the Turn in the first-seed seat could propel them back to the top.
1. Blazer5 Gaming, (6-1, 7-2), LW: 3
Remember when people kinda forgot about this team because they didn’t make it out of their Tipoff group and lost their first game? Yeah, that looks a little silly now. This is the hottest team in the league, and if MamaImDatMan isn’t at the top of your MVP rankings, you’re overthinking it.
