With NBA 2K26 releasing overall player ratings as the game’s release day approaches, plenty of the league’s biggest stars were under the spotlight with the latest update.
The video game franchise released the 20th- through 11th-best players in its ratings for this year’s game on Wednesday, which gave fans a glimpse at those playmakers who just missed being included in the top 10:
Many of the central figures of last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs were included in the latest group of players.
Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers became the story of the basketball world as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks to reach the NBA Finals. That meant Haliburton and Co. eliminating Donovan Mitchell and the top-seeded Cavaliers in the second round and the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combination in the conference finals.
That run wasn’t enough for the Pacers star to check in higher than Mitchell or Brunson, although they are all 93 overall.
Unfortunately for Indiana, Haliburton will not be on the court during the 2025-26 season as he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered during the team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
But the virtual version of the point guard will be in NBA 2K26 as one of the best players in the game.
Elsewhere, Joel Embiid stands out as someone who will be looking to bounce back during the upcoming season.
The Philadelphia 76ers big man was the 2022-23 MVP but appeared in just 39 games in 2023-24 and a mere 19 games last season. His injury issues were a major reason the 76ers didn’t make the playoffs or the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, but they will be far more dangerous if he is healthy and available for the upcoming campaign.
Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse provided the latest update when he told talkSPORT, “All news is positive. I know he’s working very, very hard and I think things look good. Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. But our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his nearest capabilities, because he’s awesome, no doubt about that.”
Nurse’s comments didn’t provide a ton of clarity, but 76ers fans hoping to see Embiid on the court can at least take solace knowing the virtual version of the big man will once again be difficult to stop in the latest iteration of NBA 2K.