First look at Boston Celtics player ratings on ‘NBA 2K23’

Every year as the excitement builds for a new NBA season, one of the things that fans of the Boston Celtics (and all 29 other teams) look forward to is the release of the new edition of NBA 2K. It’s always the first taste of what the upcoming season may have to offer.

Fans get a first look at players on new teams, new jerseys, and new ratings. Ratings almost always bring controversy. Fans will argue if a certain player is rated too high, which of two players should be rated higher, and which players got disrespected in their rating.

On Monday, the first screenshot of the game’s matchup screen was released. The two teams that can be seen in the screenshot are the league’s two finalists, the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. Player ratings for the starters on both teams are featured in the image.

Here are the NBA 2K23 ratings for the Boston Celtics starting five

Jayson Tatum is Boston’s highest rated player with a 93 overall. Last season Tatum made his third NBA all star appearance, averaging just under 27 points and 8 rebounds in 76 regular season games. The Boston Celtics star shot 45% from the field and 35% from deep.

The Celtics’ second highest rated player isn’t much of a surprise. Jaylen Brown comes in as an 87 overall. Brown really shined last season, scoring an average of 24 points and grabbing an average of 6 rebounds per night. He also notched a career-high 50 points in a game against the Orlando Magic back in January.

Robert Williams got some serious love from the folks over at 2K. This season he has earned his highest ever rating at 85 overall. Timelord really made a name for himself last season, nearly averaging a double double. His impact was felt most on the defensive end, where he tallied a career high 2.2 blocks per game. Williams earned himself a spot on the NBA’s All Defensive Second Team.

Boston’s longest tenured player, Marcus Smart, comes in at an 82 overall in this year’s game. Smart is coming off what may be the best season of his career. It was the first time he got to the step into a full-time starting point guard role and he thrived. Smart averaged 12 points and 6 assists over 71 regular season games. He also took home the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the first guard to receive the honor since Gary Payton in 1995-96.

Al Horford also comes in at an 82 overall this season. After an inspired performance in the NBA Playoffs it would be hard to give him anything less. The Boston big man had plenty of memorable moments throughout the team’s NBA Finals run. There of course is the historic night he had in Milwaukee in Game 4 against the Bucks, leading Boston with 30 points and 8 rebounds. He also had a monumental Game 1 in the NBA Finals against the Warriors. Horford poured in 26 points and was a huge part of the team’s historic 4th quarter comeback.