NBA 2K Reveals Top 10 Ball-Handlers, Fast Break Phenoms, And Rookies originally appeared on Fadeaway World.
The official release of NBA 2K26 is now less than a month away on Sept. 5, and 2K revealed some more player ratings for the new game on Tuesday. The first to come out were the 10 best ball-handlers, and unsurprisingly, Kyrie Irving finds himself at the top.
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Top 10 Ball-Handlers
1. Kyrie Irving – 99
2. Stephen Curry – 97
T3. Ja Morant – 96
T3. Trae Young – 96
T5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 95
T5. Jalen Brunson – 95
T5. James Harden – 95
T5. Luka Doncic – 95
9. Devin Booker – 93
10. Kevin Durant – 92
Irving is regarded by many, including Allen Iverson, as the greatest ball-handler of all time. This is actually the second category in which the Dallas Mavericks star sits at the top. Irving and Nikola Jokic have been given the best mid-range rating in NBA 2K26.
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Stephen Curry, meanwhile, has to settle for second spot here after getting the best three-point rating in the game. Curry’s former teammate, Kevin Durant, came in at second there, and he is 10th among ball-handlers.
Durant is the only player to rank in the top 10 in each of the three categories mentioned so far, as he was tied for third in mid-range. He didn’t make it four out of four, though, as he was never going to rank too high on the next category.
Top 10 Speed With The Ball
1. De’Aaron Fox – 97
T2. Ja Morant – 95
T2. Jamal Shead – 95
T2. Isaiah Collier – 95
5. Jeremiah Fears – 92
6. Rob Dillingham – 91
T7. Tyrese Maxey – 90
T7. Scoot Henderson – 90
T7. Amen Thompson -90
T7. Devin Carter – 90
San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox has been the fastest player in the game for a while and retains top spot in this edition. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant isn’t too far behind, though, along with Jamal Shead and Isaiah Collier.
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Shead and Collier had solid rookie seasons with the Toronto Raptors and the Utah Jazz, respectively, in 2024-25. They haven’t set the stage alight with their play on the court just yet, and Jeremiah Fears, who came right after them on this list, would be hoping that won’t be the case with him in 2025-26.
Top 10 Rookies
1. Cooper Flagg – 82
2. Dylan Harper – 78
3. Ace Bailey – 77
4. V.J. Edgecombe – 76
T5. Kon Knueppel – 75
T5. Tre Johnson – 75
7. Khaman Maluach – 74
8. Jeremiah Fears – 73
T9. Egor Demin – 72
T9. Collin Murray-Boyles – 72
Cooper Flagg was the consensus No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, and to no one’s surprise, he is the highest-rated rookie. Flagg being 82 was revealed quite some time ago, and he called it a very generous rating. You could argue it’s a bit too high for someone who hasn’t even played in the NBA yet, and time will tell if this was justified.
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Flagg is notably the only rookie to be in the 80s. It would appear these ratings were largely based on the draft, as these were the top 10 picks. It’s not the same order, though, with Ace Bailey, for example, being the fifth pick in the draft.
It will be interesting to see which categories come out next. We don’t know the ratings for dunks or any of the defensive categories just yet.
Related: James Harden Reveals He Doesn’t Play NBA 2K; Discloses The Only Video Game He Plays
This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.