Getty Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers on the bench during a 2019 win over the LA Lakers.
In less than three weeks — on Friday, September 10, to be exact — the NBA 2K22 video game is set to drop for all platforms. As such, 2K Sports and the face of NBA 2K, marketing director Ronnie Singh, have begun their late-summer tradition of revealing player ratings ahead of the latest game’s release.
This week, the ratings for Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were revealed via Twitter. For the former, the new number acts as a reflection of the MVP-type season he had for the Sixers in 2020-21.
Simmons’ rating, however, took a slight dip from where he was evaluated for NBA 2K21.
Embiid Firmly in the Top 10 for Overall Rating
This year, the 2K Sports social team revealed the top 10 players in terms of overall rating in one fell swoop. It was good news for Embiid, who came in at 95 overall. That mark represents Embiid’s highest-ever rating; his number for both 2K20 and 2K21 was 91 overall.
Embiid’s 95 rating was tied with those of Kawhi Leonard and Nikola Jokic for fifth-best overall. However, it was also just one point fewer than ratings for Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who were deadlocked at the top with 96 overall.
Embiid, of course, just completed what was arguably his best season as a pro. Although he missed a number of games due to injury, the four-time All-Star averaged 28.5 points (a career-high), 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. He also logged a career-best effective field goal percentage of 54.1.
Along the way, he led Philly to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
While it’s difficult to find fault with Embiid’s in-game rating, some of the other top-rated stars took issue with theirs despite having landed in the high 90s. As relayed by ESPN, Durant believes he should be a 99. For his part, James agrees and has further opined that Curry should join Durant as a 99.
The latest Sixers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Sixers newsletter here!
Simmons Drops, Curry Gets High Mark for 3-Point Ability & Thybulle Robbed?
After garnering an overall rating of 87 for three years running, Simmons was dropped by the 2K crew to an 84 in this year’s game. His rating was revealed as part of the top-ranked players from Australia and New Zealand.
Simmons’ drop is likely the byproduct of a playoff run during which he shot under 40% from the free-throw line and occasionally lacked courage offensively. However, it’s still a relatively high rating and one that was likely buoyed by his vision, transition offense and defensive mastery on the perimeter.
The former No. 1 overall pick was joined on this particular list by his Sixers teammate Matisse Thybulle. However, Thybulle’s rating was nothing to write home about as he checked in at just 75 overall. It’s a curious appraisal given his defensive breakout last season and subsequent Olympic efforts.
Elsewhere, Sixers guard Seth Curry is riding high in the three-point shooting category. He was tied with Duncan Robinson and Joe Harris as the game’s No. 3 three-point shooter(s) with a long-range shooting rating of 90.
READ NEXT:
- Lance Stephenson Auditions for Sixers & Others Teams
- Analyst Makes Grim Prediction About Simmons-Sixers Situation
- Boomers Coach Backs Ben Simmons
- Stash Pick Petrusev Has Big Goals With Sixers