The NBA’s best teams can easily be the last teams who competed in the playoffs. In NBA 2K24, it is a bit different.
All the best teams in the video game are based on the team’s overall player ratings. If you compare a team like the Phoenix Suns to the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, you can say that the Nuggets are better.
It can be different in the game because you have four talented superstar players on the Suns team, and they would be better than the Nuggets.
We’ll try to make this list as subjective as possible and base the list on the team’s rating on paper and a few caveats.
Denver Nuggets
Starting the list, we have the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA this year. Even if Joel Embiid took the MVP award, Jokic showed everyone in the 2022-2023 playoffs why he is the most dominant and unstoppable player.
No one can defend him. With the perfect supporting cast, they took the crown in a convincing fashion.
Aaron Gordon can defend. Michael Porter Jr. can provide instant offense. Jamal Murray is an amazing #2 with superstar qualities.
Los Angeles Clippers
If it were the real NBA, I would say the Clippers will never win anything if Kawhi doesn’t play enough games.
With all the load management, it is tough to see them succeeding and developing chemistry with each other.
However, NBA 2K24 still credits Kawhi Leonard’s skill when he plays. He is still one of the highest-rated players in the game.
With another great superstar in Paul George, the Clippers are still one of the best teams in the NBA…on paper.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have arguably the best player in NBA history with LeBron James. Even in year 20, he proved that he was still one of the best players in the league.
There is no question about the team’s talent. Everything will come down to the health of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
They have great role players and a rising star in Austin Reaves. In NBA 2K24, you can capitalize on this for the first few years of the season until you start to rebuild again.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are in a weird position. They do have one of the best teams in the league, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez.
However, most of these players are quite old already. You have the option to tweak the roster and capitalize on making the team better now and three years later.
Any team with Giannis Antetokounmpo will always be one of the best teams in the league.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have two of the best three-point shooters in NBA history. That alone puts them over the top amongst a lot of teams.
Their unselfish system works well at getting the defenses to overreact. When you look at their whole team, they might look very top-heavy with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
However, their team is very deep. They have great role players in Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga, and Kevon Looney.
Andrew Wiggins really blossomed with the team, too. They also added Chris Paul this year, which would be interesting to watch since he would probably play with the second unit.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two of the best young stars in the league. They have consistently shown success in the playoffs but always fall short near the end.
They are still young, so they have a lot of room for growth, especially when it comes to experience.
The Celtics arguably have the most assets available to boost their team up. Their supporting cast and role players are also great.
On paper, they are the best team in NBA 2K24 regarding overall rating, trade value, defense, and offense.
They even added Kristaps Porzingis without sacrificing their core players.
New Orleans Pelicans
In the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans’ future still looks bleak, but in NBA 2K24, they are absolutely amazing.
This is because of the looming future with Zion Williamson. In NBA 2K24, you can play Zion as much as you want without worrying about any complex health complications.
Your team will always be 100%. When the Pelicans were in full power last season, they got the top spot in the Western Conference.
The team is filled with young talent. You also have the flexibility to get the players you want because of the assets they were able to accumulate with the Anthony Davis trade years before.
Miami Heat
In my opinion, the Miami Heat has always been underrated when it comes to NBA 2K24. Their determination, grit, and culture never really show in the video game.
Even up to now, the overall ratings of their players are really low, even if they just wiped the entire Eastern Conference and played in the finals.
However, we have seen Jimmy Butler’s rise to the best player in the game after his dominant playoff performance.
The Miami Heat are in a good spot right now with a lot of developing players and a strong starting five. Bam Adebayo is one of the best bigs who can do it all, and he is still young.
With Tyler Herro back, you can see their true potential.
Phoenix Suns
We saved the best team for last, the Phoenix Suns. They are by far the greatest team in the league on paper. They have Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Deandre Ayton.
Those first three players alone are arguably the top 10 best players in the league. I seriously wonder if there are enough balls to go around for them.
They are all ball-dominant and iso-heavy players. In NBA 2K24, those don’t matter as much anyway.
