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.
NOTE: We did not do power rankings for week six. The previous rankings listed are from week five.
21. Pistons GT, (1-8 regular season record, 1-11 overall record), last week: 18
The DevGoss trade hasn’t yet panned out for the Pistons, who sit last in the standings with the league’s worst overall record. Can a bye week turn things around, or at least encourage a run in the Ticket?
20. Lakers Gaming, (1-8, 2-10), LW: 19
Lakers Gaming has showed signs of breaking through, but their record hasn’t quite matched those flashes. They’ve started to integrate a post-focused offense, but will the bye week be enough to help them out of the cellar?
19. Knicks Gaming, (1-6, 3-8), LW: 16
No one knows how to flip the switch like Knicks Gaming, and few teams need to flip the switch like Knicks Gaming. The Ticket may be the team’s lone shot at the postseason once again, barring a 9-0 or 8-1 rush to close the season.
18. Wizards District Gaming, (2-4, 3-6), LW: 21
The Wizards flipped the switch with a two-win week, and they’ve still got ten games to go. Getting a fired-up DemonJT at point guard helps, but they wouldn’t mind Reese scoring 30 points per game every week as he did in their two wins.
17. Grizz Gaming, (3-4, 3-7), LW: 20
The Grizz acquired KelMav to provide an offensive spark, but the team still runs through the Vandi-Authentic pick-and-roll. That’s a talented duo, but it needs to continue to push the Grizz to new heights; they’re on pace for a record similar to last year’s 6-8.
16. T-Wolves Gaming, (3-5, 7-7), LW: 13
Roster speculation aside, the T-Wolves are at the midpoint of their season needing a very strong finish to eye the playoffs. Nonetheless, BeartheBeast has quietly (somehow!) had a very strong rookie year, and he’s the type of player who can take a team on a big run.
15. Celtics Crossover Gaming, (2-5, 8-7), LW: 11
Which iteration of Celtics Crossover will we see every week? The tournament Celtics, who can beat any team, or the early-season Celtics, who changed identities weekly? One thing is for certain: Fab is playing himself well into the MVP conversation, turning in superstar performances game in and game out.
14. Magic Gaming, (3-4, 6-7), LW: 14
The Magic more than pass the eye test, but the team is still stuck in the middle of the standings. A trade for veteran ToXsiK gives head coach Jonah Edwards even more matchup options with which to tinker.
13. Cavs Legion GC, (5-5, 6-7), LW: 15
The Cavs saved their season with two huge (and hugely entertaining) fourth-quarter comebacks last week, bringing their record to .500. They’ll need a strong showing in their final six games, but Savage has filled in very competently at point guard, and the team should continue to gel with the addition of All Hail Trey.
12. Raptors Uprising GC, (3-4, 5-7), LW: 12
Raptors Uprising split 1-1 with Sick in the lineup, but that loss was a close one to Blazer5 Gaming, which augurs well for the Raptors going forward. Sick has played exceptionally well since the trade, and the Raptors know a thing or two about late-season surges.
11. Heat Check Gaming, (4-5, 6-8), LW: 8
Is it time to worry about the Heat? Two losses last week, and a 1-3 record since acquiring Hood, have Miami somewhat hot under the collar. But cooler heads have FamousEnough figuring things out over the bye week as the team rebounds from an unusually poor week.
10. Hawks Talon GC, (3-3, 3-6), LW: 10
The Hawks have 10 games to go, which is a good place to be considering that they’re still working MrStylez into the lineup. We’ve yet to see his full arsenal displayed alongside Arsonal in the pick-and-roll, but two weeks to prepare should have the Hawks flying high.
9. JazzGaming, (4-4, 7-6), LW: 7
The Jazz have come back to Earth after a strong few weeks. Compete has played more aggressively, while Ria has looked like the incredibly consist No. 1 pick he is. But the team isn’t satisfied at 4-4, and they’ve got the second half of the season to satisfy themselves.
8. Nets GC, (5-4, 6-6), LW: 17
The Nets see a massive jump in the rankings after notching three consecutive victories. Their lineup switch—Lav to point guard and Wavy.zay to small forward—has paid off in spades, with both rookies clicking immediately in their new roles.
7. Bucks Gaming, (5-5, 8-8), LW: 6
The Bucks fought back into the win column and evened their record at .500 with a big victory over the Warriors. In parallel, Arooks has played himself back into the MVP discussion, but questions about the team’s backcourt play must be answered in the final six games of the season.
6. 76ers GC, (4-3, 12-4), LW: 2
The unshakeable 76ers have looked shaky in the last few weeks. While their overall record is unparalleled, they’re just a tough buzzer-beater away from a sub-.500 record. Trust Radiant, Steez and coach Jeff Terrell to figure things out, sooner rather than later.
5. Pacers Gaming, (5-1, 7-2), LW: 5
The Pacers still have 10 games to go entering week 7, but they’re in about as good a spot as they could be. Matty hasn’t recaptured his 30-point heights yet, but with WoLF, Swizurk and Ramo firing on all cylinders this team can be as good as any in the league.
4. Kings Guard Gaming, (7-2, 8-5), LW: 9
Kings Guard is really, really good, led by point guard BP and BallLikeSeem. Zakychan has played admirably at lock, and the Kings have put it all together against some of the best teams in the league. They’re in that category, too. (Imagine Timelycook on this team—yikes!)
3. Warriors Gaming Squad, (6-3, 11-4), LW: 1
The Warriors suffered a 1-1 split in their last outing, but this team is still excellent. Furthermore, they’re setting the pace archetype-wise, with Gradient pacing the slashing defender-at-the-three move. Few teams are as deep 1-through-6 as the Warriors.
2. Blazer5 Gaming, (8-1, 9-3), LW: 3
Blazer5 has won eight straight games, and they don’t show many signs of slowing down. MamaImDatMan just picked up another player of the week award, and he’s the frontrunner for MVP, outpacing last year’s MVP OneWildWalnut (“I’m going to be MVP… again” is a phenomenal line).
1. Mavs Gaming, (9-0, 11-2), LW: 4
The Mavs—stop me if you’ve heard this—are 9-0, a first in NBA 2K League history. After a tumultuous 2018 season, it’s been smooth sailing for the Mavs, who have only lost two games on the year. Week seven brings Kings Guard Gaming and 76ers GC; if the Mavs stay undefeated after week seven, Dimez and co. will have to be everyone’s favorites to take home the title.
