The NBA opens its preseason on Thursday, Oct. 5 with the start of the league’s regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 24. To keep hoop junkies and gamers preoccupied until then, the popular NBA 2K24 was released to the public five days ago on Sept. 8.
And BetMassachusetts.com – your source for Massachusetts sportsbooks – wanted to see if this year’s game sheds any light on the talent levels for each team in the NBA. So, we utilized 2Kratings.com to see which teams have the most star power, with players graded 85+ overall. Here is what we found out:
Players With 85+ Overall Ratings in NBA 2K24
Celtics on Top Rung for Talent
The Boston Celtics are one of six teams that tied with three players with ratings of 85+, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers. Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. The Celtics are again expected to be among the top teams in the league. In fact, FanDuel Massachusetts has Boston (+470) favored to win the league, followed by the Denver Nuggets (+480) and Milwaukee Bucks (+600).
The Celtics’ trio includes Jayson Tatum (30.1 points per game last season, sixth in the league), Jaylen Brown (26.6 ppg, 13th) and newly acquired Kristaps Porzingis (23.2 ppg, 32nd). Porzingis was part of a three-way deal with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies in late June that sent Porzingis to the Celtics, Boston guard Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies and Memphis guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards.
Last season, the Celtics (57-25) won the Atlantic Division and were the second seed in the Eastern Conference before bowing out to the Miami Heat in a thrilling best-of-seven Eastern Conference Final, 4-3. You can find more about the Celtics’ odds on this site.
The other three-player teams: Cleveland (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley), Milwaukee (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton), Philadelphia (League MVP Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey), Phoenix (Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal) and Golden State (Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson).
Boston opens its 2023-24 season on the road against the New York Knicks Oct. 25. Stay close to BetMassachusetts.com as we follow the Celtics and for Massachusetts betting promos.
