You couldn’t ask for much more out of the first week of the season! Shock and awe across the board, the NBA 2K League 2024 season was shot out of a cannon with plenty of intrigue across the board. It’s a lot to cover, so we’re going to change up the format a bit. We’ll open with a few standout players, then get to our usual power rankings with a bit of a twist! On my weekly podcast with Dirk, we previewed the season and put every team into 4 categories. We’re going to keep that format, but change up the names a bit to track how teams move throughout the year. For this week, we have the “Too Soon To Tell” group, but that’ll turn into the “Having Trouble” group eventually. Teams are still ranked as you’d expect, but I liked doing fun things, so fun thing it is. Without further ado, let’s get to our standouts.

5 Standouts

Vandi – The King has returned. 11.9 ppg on 81.9 True Shooting%, leading the league in scoring after week 1, it makes me mad all over again that he didn’t get to play any 3v3 last year. Sure, Dux won the title, but do you see now what we were being robbed of? Grizz had an up and down week, but if Vandi keeps playing like this, it’ll straighten out with ease.

Connor – It was a bit of a surprise when he came out on SF with Jomar on PF after the incredible season head last year, but honestly, it didn’t matter. Top 5 in scoring, #2 in PER(Player Efficiency Rating), 73% FG%, he is just as good as ever. Fair to wonder if he’ll be the best non-PG player in 3v3 this season.

TreyDollaz – A very nice start for Trey in his return to the NBA 2K League. 9.6 ppg, 61.3% from 3, he’s exactly what Hornets Venom needed in this game mode. He’s spreading the ball around well, couple too many turnovers for my liking, but it’s coming from him testing his playmaking skills so I’m fine with it. Just need consistency from Trey, always been his issue.

Jboolin – Hidden in Magic Gaming’s weird start to the season are some downright ridiculous numbers from the #3 overall pick. He’s the only player through week 1 to be averaging at least .5 spg and be shooting over 75% from 3. This is just the beginning for him too, there is a lot to like on film and a lot of room for him to improve. The focus will be on Benzo and Tutak mostly, but Jboolin is an elite prospect in his own right.

Dtrick – Not many teams are running an Inside Center this season and after watching Dtrick in Week 1, I see why. It’s because those other teams don’t have Dtrick. His combination of defensive instincts and stick skill allow him to dominate no matter the build. Now, he’s being given a build with a major size advantage and the ability to score at the rim? It’s a party in South Beach. It also helps Ky a ton when he gets stuck in awkward situations. I like how this is looking to start out.

Rankings

Contenders

1. Lakers Gaming

2. Nets Gaming Crew

3. Pacers Gaming

4. Pistons GT

5. Bucks Gaming

It’s hilariously early, but the two teams for me that seem a bit separated from the pack currently are Lakers Gaming and NetsGC. They dominated teams  to the tune of an 8-0 record and the best point differential in the league coming out of week 1. We were hoping for huge, MVP-like seasons from Kaii and Greens and they have delivered with flying colors so far. The other three teams, combined with their elite rosters, have looked the best so far to me on film. Pistons GT and Bucks Gaming got a bit unlucky this week with how a few of their games ended, but they should be just fine for the long-term.

On The Bubble

6. T-Wolves Gaming

7. Hornet Venom GT

8. Gen.G Tigers

9. CLTX Gaming

10. Heat Check Gaming

11. Warriors Gaming Squad

12. Cavs Legion GC

13. Grizz Gaming

This is quite the mish mash of teams, and feels very suited for a Week 1 Power Rankings article. All of these teams showed more good than bad this week, so that’s enough for me to keep them on the bubble heading into bracket play. T-Wolves Gaming really stood out to me, I thought the combination of Tutak and Igymo brought a ton of electric energy to this team and the surprising lineup decision of BearDaBeast at lockdown has worked out quite well so far. His veteran presence and IQ has been very useful so far. Hornets Venom and Gen.G both played very well this week too, FlukeLock and LawRich are both special players at lockdown. I want to call out Cavs Legion and Grizz Gaming. Two of the weirdest weeks of any team so far. The Cavs forgot how to shoot for 2-3 straight series and the Grizz missed so many game winning chances that it cost them 2 separate series. Talent is there for both, we’ll see if they can get themselves back on track.

Too Soon To Tell

14. Magic Gaming

15. NBL Oz Gaming

16. Dux Infinitos

17. Wizards DG

18. Jazz Gaming

19. 76ers GC

20. Knicks Gaming

21. Blazer5 Gaming

This group is even weirder than our bubble teams so we’ll keep it light for now. Ironically, I think all of these teams have the potential to be pretty good this year. A special shoutout to Blazer5 for starting a weird lineup featuring neither of the guards they selected in the draft and still finding a way to win games. I’m not sure if it’s sustainable and it does make their draft look even worse, but hey, wins are wins at the end of the day, KayAus at SF is not something I had on my bingo card this season. 

Quadrant of Woe

22. Hawks Talon GC

23. Raptors Uprising GC

24. Mavs Gaming

25. Kings Guard Gaming

I’m totally stealing this group title from Kirk Goldsberry, but it fits these teams well. It might be a bit unfair to the Hawks since they looked okay this week, however I’m far past giving this team credit for small things, we need to see consistent winning from that franchise. The Kings looked like the same Kings team as last year but with two new starters. I’m not sure what was going on with them this week, but the Score/Bray/Kik lineup was really bad and I wonder if it’s a case of just too much youth on the court at the same time. Mavs Gaming couldn’t get out of their own way this week and now find themselves in a pretty big hole to start the season. They have a long way to go to get themselves back in contention. And then, there is Raptors Uprising. Started the week with a lot of excitement, but ended with AntoineLove on the bench? I’m not sure why he was on  the bench, but I can’t imagine it’s for any reason that is good. I’m keeping a close eye on this team, this mode might slip away from them fast.

That’s it for this week, be sure to check out Dirk and I’s podcast, Virtual Courtside, available on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify for more analysis! I’ll be back later this week to preview Round 1 of Slam Bracket Play.