NBA 2K15: An Early Look at the Top Teams

It’s been almost two weeks since LeBron James gave us “The Letter,” and since then, the shape of the NBA in 2014 has started to come into focus. There are still some good players out there for the taking (notably Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe), but with NBA 2K15 less than 3 months from release, it’s a good time to take a look at some teams that will put their stamps on both the real-life and virtual seasons.

Some teams stayed relevant just by standing pat. The Western Conference finalists from last year, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, had few noteworthy losses, and the Spurs should be even better, with Kawhi Leonard getting a Finals MVP-boost to his ratings.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder should see a couple of changes to their lineups, as Anthony Morrow now steps in for Thabo Sefolosha, and there should be ratings bumps to both Reggie Jackson and Steven Adams, making them more viable in online play than they might have been last year. Still, the most versatile roster in NBA 2K14 should likely be the same in NBA 2K15, with elite scoring from coverboy Kevin Durant and running mate Russell Westbrook leading the charge, as always. With Serge Ibaka also likely to see a bump in his 3 point shooting, especially from the corners, the Thunder should have even more outlets for shooting surrounding their top talent.

Houston Rockets

The biggest Western Conference loser is also the biggest loser in Free Agency: the Houston Rockets. The Rockets lost a ton of roster flexibility in losing Chandler Parsons (76 overall), Omer Asik (71), and Jeremy Lin (76). Parsons was in line for a ratings increase after career highs in scoring, rebounds and assists, and Asik is sure to be missed as a backup or second big next to Dwight Howard, a role Houston rediscovered in their playoff series against the Blazers last year.

Adding Trevor Ariza (78) is a consolation, however, as he resurrected his career in Washington after being a forgotten man around most of the NBA. Ariza grew from a league-average 3 point shooter to an elite one (36% in 12–13, 41% in 13–14), so he should see the requisite bump in that regard. Ariza is firmly in the prime of his career, and should help, but the Houston roster is pretty thin all around after they cleared the decks for the attempted signing of Chris Bosh.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans, should they remain healthy, have a better team in NBA 2K15 than they will have in real life. They lost Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson to injuries for the bulk of last year, and a lineup of Holiday/Eric Gordon/Tyreke Evans/Anderson/Anthony Davis (who is going to get a huge ratings bump) with Asik as a backup big is a pretty dangerous group of 6 that mixes defense, shooting, driving, and length better than many other units.

Golden State Warriors

Of course, a potential Kevin Love/Klay Thompson+David Lee swap looms for the Western Conference race, as those rumors have heated back up over the past few weeks. However, the Stephen Curry/Kevin Love pairing is not as strong in NBA 2K14 as you may think, since the game handles pick and pops so poorly. If that trade does happen, the Warriors may be slightly less flexible in NBA 2K15, though it’s my hope that 2K15 has enough adjustments in AI to make the Warriors as dangerous in the game as they should be.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Most of the intrigue for this coming season is centered in the Eastern Conference, and with good reason. The Central Division should be greatly improved, with the obvious addition of LeBron James (99, duh) and Mike Miller (70) to the Cavaliers alongside rookie Andrew Wiggins. The Cavs did lose some depth clearing space for LeBron, but ratings increases are to be expected for Miller and Anthony Bennett, who has been a standout in Summer League.

Of course, if the Cavs blow up their roster and trade for Kevin Love, they will lose depth and talent on the wing in exchange for an elite frontcourt player. Wiggins isn’t that much of an outside shooter yet so expect to struggle with outside shooting, but LeBron’s flexibility to go along with Kyrie Irving’s brilliance offensively should make the Cavs one of the top teams in NBA 2K15. If they add Love, expect to see them even more online.

Chicago Bulls

Although they’re a secondary story, I expect the Chicago Bulls to be even better than the Cavs. Sure, everything with the Bulls, as usual, hinges on Derrick Rose’s knees, but the additions of Pau Gasol (likely to receive a drop from his 80 rating in 2K14), Nikola Mirotic (rated 79 overall with an 83 3pt rating on the Euroleague’s Real Madrid), Doug McDermott (shooting 50% from 3 and scoring 20 points per game), and Tony Snell (also shooting 50% from 3 in Summer League) should add some much-needed firepower to a team that was severely lacking in it in 2K14. There’s a ton of lineup flexibility here with Gasol, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, McDermott, and Mirotic all being capable players with a good mix of inside and outside play to go along with Rose, Jimmy Butler, and Snell at the guard spots.

Milwaukee Bucks

With the Detroit Pistons still mired in roster-building hell, the Milwaukee Bucks should get out of the division’s cellar this season with the addition of #2 overall pick Jabari Parker. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been fantastic in Summer League, and will be an elite NBA 2K player soon, if not this season, and Larry Sanders should return to the team after a bizarre and lost 13–14 season.

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets’ name keeps popping up in these previews, and everything I wrote about them a few weeks ago still stands, except now they’ve added Lance Stephenson (83) to go along with their two rookie additions. Lance’s ability to play point guard, shooting guard, or even some small forward in spots is a tremendous addition to an already fun roster. Charlotte may be a top 4 team in the East, but they’ll be #2 in my heart (behind the couple of weeks of Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel I’ll get before 2K wises up and takes Embiid off the roster).

Miami Heat

Charlotte’s gain is the Indiana Pacers’ loss, but the biggest losers of the 2K offseason are of course the Miami Heat. Losing LeBron James is catastrophic, but the additions of Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts (68) and Danny Granger (81??) doesn’t really move the needle. Granger, along with Dwyane Wade, are sure to receive ratings drops (Granger much more so), but the Heat’s roster was already getting worse, even without losing LeBron.

Shane Battier retired, and all of the Heat’s key contributors have slipped past their primes in the past season or 2. Shabazz Napier is a young, exciting guard who might be buried behind Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, and the Heat will still be starting Chris Bosh at center, only with more responsibilities and offense and less lineup flexibility. The Heat may be popular in the first few days after NBA 2K15‘s launch, but expect to hear a lot of complaints of “wait, where’s LeBron?!” as you gleefully watch your opponent try to create with Luol Deng and a downgraded Dwyane Wade.

Generally, the talent pool in the Eastern Conference spread out and slightly rose, even as there are seemingly no elite teams (save for the Bulls, again, depending on Rose). Players are starting to notice the easier route to the Eastern Conference Finals, so more players are going from West to East or just staying in the East where possible. If Kevin Love comes East instead of going to Golden State, the balance of power shifts moreso towards the Cavs, but expect to see an even mix of Cavaliers and Bulls when playing online.

The offseason is flying by, and there are still some decisions for teams to make before everything gets settled and we can really look ahead to possible lineup combinations for the top teams in NBA 2K15.

Originally published at www.goodgamebro.com on July 24, 2014.