NBA 2K17: Player Ratings for Top Stars at Each Position

As far as realistic basketball simulations go, NBA 2K17 hits it right on the head—LeBron James is king.

Player ratings are always the most controversial part of a new release from 2K17. Not controversial in a bad way, either, but merely what gets fans talking the most before a new game's release.

More than anything, this is likely because almost every player hops on social media or talks about the ratings in interviews—snubs, overratings and players who swear they will improve so 2K Sports bumps their rating line every release.

Here is a look at the top players in the game who made the cut and don't have much to complain about:

Player	Pos.	Team	Rating
LeBron James	SF	Cleveland Cavaliers	96
Stephen Curry	PG	Golden State Warriors	94
Kevin Durant	SF	Golden State Warriors	93
Kawhi Leonard	SF	San Antonio Spurs	93
Russell Westbrook	PG	Oklahoma City Thunder	93
Chris Paul	PG	Los Angeles Clippers	91
Anthony Davis	PF	New Orleans Pelicans	90
James Harden	SG	Houston Rockets	90
Klay Thompson	SG	Golden State Warriors	90
DeMarcus Cousins	C	Sacramento Kings	90
Draymond Green	PF	Golden State Warriors	90
Damian Lillard	PG	Portland Trail Blazers	89
Paul George	SF	Indiana Pacers	89
Kyrie Irving	PG	Cleveland Cavaliers	89
LaMarcus Aldridge	PF	San Antonio Spurs	88
Carmelo Anthony	SF	New York Knicks	88
John Wall	PG	Washington Wizards	88
Jimmy Butler	SG	Chicago Bulls	88
Karl-Anthony Towns	C	Minnesota Timberwolves	88
Andre Drummond	C	Detroit Pistons	87

There has been some funny banter already, such as Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs asking to see his rating early, with 2016 No. 1 pick Ben Simmons stepping in with the jokes.

The exchange:

"

@DejounteMurray @Ronnie2K 1

— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) August 25, 2016"

Others, such as Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, took to social media to celebrate in funny fashion—he hasn't scored a point in the NBA yet:

Some don't remain content with the assigned rating and do a little editing for good measure, as Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Wroten revealed:

Overall, the ratings seem to have hit the right mark this year, even if it is easy to forget guys like Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns deserve such high rankings. The former missed a large chunk of time last year and plays in New Orleans, while the latter had a monster rookie season in Minnesota.

Fans of the game will notice the top ratings still sit lower than usual for the series.

This is a calculated move 2K Sports unveiled last year in an effort to make the game more realistic. Complex's Max Rappaport explained:

"

The goal was to undo years of ratings inflation within the game, making it so there is a noticeable and true-to-life difference between the athleticism of, say, Ben McLemore and Zach Lavine. Stauffer and his team also hope that by creating a wider scale, aspects of players’ games that truly are elite shine through even more.

"

"Realistic" is the key word here.

Accurate player ratings don't mean much if the game isn't realistic on the court and fun to play.

Luckily for fans, 2K Sports has gone to great lengths to increase the simulation aspect of the game this year. There is a reason the game sits on a Metacritic score of 91 as of this writing.

One of the biggest on-court upgrades comes in the form of how players move away from the ball. Players won't often just stand around waiting for the ball to come to them while the user does his or her thing. Now players move smartly around the court, quickly fighting through screens and getting open or defending. 

Rebounding feels smoother as well, with the fight on the low post mattering more than ever. Defensive tuning featuring more accurate deflections means users can't keep going one-on-one and splashing buckets. A revamped shot meter provides a more realistic experience, too.

Like Wroten, users can manipulate the player ratings in the game in MyGM and MyLeague modes. More items than ever fall into customizable territory in booming modes now allowing for a silly 36 teams (that's a great thing).

Users can insert themselves into the game next to Michael B. Jordan, too. MyCareer mode makes a revamped return and users can work on their own rating while rising from college to the pros and having a Scottie Pippen-esque sidekick in Jordan along the way. With more interaction and customization options than ever, the mode has been one of the most talked-about features.

As always, ratings will remain in flux and reflect the game itself through patches once the season gets underway. Call it yet another reason on a long list that NBA 2K17 isn't simply a roster update for a new season.

Though some players might not agree with the ratings, NBA 2K17 hits all the right points in strong fashion for a second superb release in a row.