We are now officially less than two months away from the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, and fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are excited to see Luka Doncic’s first full campaign with the purple and gold. Right now, they are watching Doncic play for Slovenia at EuroBasket, but in a couple weeks, fans will have NBA 2K26 to get their Lakers fill.
On Sep. 5, NBA 2K26 is being released, meaning fans will get to play with their favorite team’s new rosters before the actual games begin on Oct. 21. That will, in essence, be the first look at the new Lakers, with Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and others alongside the big three of Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
The last thing fans are waiting for before the release of the game is the player ratings, something that always sparks debate during the height of the NBA summer schedule. The ratings for Doncic, James and Reaves have already been revealed. Luka and LeBron are both in the top 10 of all players with a 95 and 94 overall, respectively.
Meanwhile, Reaves is an 85. As a team, according to 2K ratings, the Lakers are considered a T1 tier roster with an 84 overall rating. Their inside and outside offensive rating was an 88, among the best in the game. And they were given an 87 potential rating. But their defensive numbers fell flat, getting a 66 for their interior defense and overall defense, with a 59 for rebounding.
That tracks with what many expect to be among the best offensive teams in the NBA with not much by way of defense. The team’s best overall defender is likely Smart, who is a few years removed from being a Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Below is the full list of the Lakers roster with their overall ratings at the release of NBA 2K26.
Lakers NBA 2K26 player ratings
Luka Doncic, Playmaking Inside-Out Scorer: 95
LeBron James, 2-Way Inside-Out Point Forward: 94
Austin Reaves, Shot-Creating 3-Level Threat: 85
Deandre Ayton, 2-Way Inside-The-Arc Menace: 81
Rui Hachimura, Shot-Creating 3-Level Threat: 81
Marcus Smart, 2-Way Perimeter Threat: 79
Jaxson Hayes, 2-Way Interior Scorer: 78
Jarred Vanderbilt, Defensive Anchor: 77
Gabe Vincent, 3-Level Scoring Threat: 77
Dalton Knecht, Catch-and-Shoot Ace: 77
Jake LaRavia, Catch-and-Shoot Ace: 76
Maxi Kleber, Versatile Defender: 72
Christian Koloko, Paint Protect: 72
Bronny James, Rim Attacker: 68
There are no ratings yet for second-round pick Adou Thiero as well as undrafted free agents Eric Dixon and Chris Manon.
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