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 three of our writers’ own rankings, aggregated into one. Let’s get to it.
21. Pistons GT, (1-12 regular season record, 1-17 overall record), last week: 21
The Pistons have one solid win over Bucks Gaming from early in the season. They haven’t been in the winner’s circle since April 17.
20. Lakers Gaming (2-11, 3-14), LW: 20
There’s always next year for the Lakers, who are long eliminated from playoff contention. Wins have been few and far between.
19. Knicks Gaming (2-10, 7-13), LW: 17
Knicks Gaming has improved a little too late in the year to make much noise, and the noise surrounding Goofy will make a quiet offseason reset impossible.
18. Hawks Talon GC (4-6, 4-10), LW: 18
Where oh where have the post scorers gone? Everywhere but Atlanta, where it’s now or never for Hawks Talon GC to snap their three-game funk.
17. Grizz Gaming (5-6, 5-13), LW: 16
It’s not lights-out for the Grizz, but the lights haven’t been on long enough for them to make an early playoff push. This season has far more positives than last year’s, though.
16. Heat Check Gaming (4-8, 8-12), LW: 15
There’s a scenario in which Heat Check makes the playoffs, but the odds are low, to put it lightly. The fire might be out soon.
15. Wizards District Gaming (5-7, 6-10), LW: 19
The Wizards have shown some bounce-back ability recently, but their late charge will likely fall short. Their outlook after Boo Painter’s dismissal hasn’t been bad, though.
14. Raptors Uprising GC (5-6, 8-10), LW: 10
Once more, the Uprising need a late-season charge. They haven’t done much rising up the standings this year, though, and time is running out.
13. T-Wolves Gaming (5-6, 10-9), LW: 13
The T-Wolves, spearheaded by BearDaBeast and JMoney, are an explosive team. Can they explode their way to a five-game win streak to close the year?
12. Jazz Gaming (6-6, 9-9), LW: 12
Sitting at 6-6, Jazz Gaming is running out of time for their customary two-game splits. Lotty’s been excellent, but will top picks Compete and Ria seal the deal?
11. Cavs Legion GC (7-6, 9-9), LW: 8
The Cavs’ winning streak snapped at exactly the wrong time. At 7-6, without many tiebreakers, the can still control their own destiny by winning out to close a tumultuous year.
10. Bucks Gaming (7-6, 8-10), LW: 9
Bucks Gaming, by contrast, holds a lot of tiebreakers, but a tough loss to the Nets clouded their playoff hopes somewhat. Can the firepower of ARooks and Plondo get things back on track?
9. Magic Gaming (6-5, 11-9), LW: 7
The Magic are holding tight, knowing—like so many teams—that winning out is the only safe way to go. Getting that win over the Cavs Legion earlier in the year would have been a huge help.
8. Celtics Crossover Gaming (6-5, 12-8), LW: 14
Celtics Crossover is on a tear right now, winning five consecutive games. They’re not out of the woods yet, but the Celtics can be secure in the feeling that the win streak has been due to more than the luck of the Irish.
7. NetsGC (7-5, 9-8), LW: 11
The Nets had an absolutely massive week, picking up two wins over fellow bubble teams to vault ahead to 7-5. They’ll get a bye week before resuming their endeavors with more important games.
6. Kings Guard Gaming (9-4, 10-8), LW: 6
It’s almost party time for the all-but-clinched Kings, who steadied themselves with two solid wins in week nine. The turnaround from last year’s 4-10 is nearly complete.
5. Pacers Gaming (8-4, 14-6), LW: 5
Like the Kings, the Pacers snagged two important wins last week. They did so in harrowing fashion, however, and they’re in no position to sit comfortably with four games to go.
4. Warriors Gaming Squad (7-6, 16-7), LW: 2
They’re in, but Warriors Gaming has to get back on track for seeding purposes. Tournament hangover is one thing; satisfaction at merely clinching is something for which the championship hopefuls cannot settle.
3. 76ers GC (7-4, 16-6), LW: 4
The 76ers are a rock-solid team, but their playoff spot isn’t rock solid quite yet. One of the league’s most consistent teams has a chance to solidify things with a two-win week.
2. Mavs Gaming (11-2, 13-5), LW: 3
Clinching comes as a relief to the Mavs, whose lineup is a little different for the foreseeable future. They’re still a very good team, though, and getting ready for the playoffs is the first order of business.
1. Blazer5 Gaming (12-1, 13-4), LW: 1
The Blazers reign supreme in the regular season, where they’ve extended their league-record winning streak to twelve games. Locking up the top seed should come first, but it’s still championship or bust for Blazer5.
