Every year around this time, many NBA players look forward to seeing what their rating is the annual NBA 2K basketball video game and there are always arguments and debates about which players are rated too high and too low. One that could cause a debate this year is the rating of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
Reaves has gone from undrafted to a borderline All-Star caliber player in four seasons with last year being his best yet. The guard posted career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals while also getting to the free throw line at the highest rate of his career and knocking down nearly 88% of his free throws.
The developers of the game took notice and adjusted Reaves’ rating for NBA 2K26 accordingly as they revealed on social media that the Lakers guard has an 85 rating, good enough to move him into the top 50 highest-rated players in the game:
Rising into the Top 50
Who are you surprised to see here in the #NBA2KTop100? pic.twitter.com/oCJYJYuE8t
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 18, 2025
Reaves’ rating has him tied with Sacramento Kings wings Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan as well as San Antonio Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox. Some might argue that Reaves isn’t on the level of these players as all are former All-Stars, but there is no denying that Reaves has continued to improve throughout his Lakers career.
Even after the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, Reaves continued to be an extremely important piece of the Lakers’ offense, relieving both Luka and LeBron James of ball-handling and creation duties and outright running the offense at times. Reaves also took on more defensive responsibility and worked hard on that end of the court despite being outmatched physically many nights.
The great thing about NBA 2K is that these ratings can change throughout the season so Reaves will have every opportunity to justify his ranking and even improve it with great performances once the season begins and silence any doubters questioning whether he deserves the rating he received.
Lakers’ Austin Reaves expected to command at least $30 million in free agency next offseason
There is no doubt that Austin Reaves has outplayed his current contract and is deserving of more money and that payday will come next offseason when the Lakers guard is expected to opt out of his current deal and hit unrestricted free agency. Many believe Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers and he has said himself that he wants to remain in L.A. but it will be costly as the guard is expected to command more than $30 million a year.
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