Atlanta Hawks Star's 2K Rating Named As The Most 'Disrespectful'

You know it is deep in the offseason when the ratings for the NBA2K video game are a big talking point. While rating players is objectively hard, the fact that Johnson was rated only as an 81 in this year's game feels a little bit off. In a recent list of most disrespectful 2K ratings from Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey, Johnson was at the top of the list:

"Jalen Johnson is one of the most intriguing up-and-coming talents in the NBA.

He doesn't turn 24 until December. And this past season, he averaged 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks.

He's a pogo-stick finisher with underrated playmaking chops and growing defensive switchability.

And for a brief moment in 2024-25, his versatility made it just shy of absurd to ask: "Could Jalen Johnson be the Atlanta Hawks' best player?"

Now, the chances of the answer to that question ultimately being "yes" are slim. Trae Young is still one of the game's best offensive engines.

But having Johnson, who'll almost certainly be seen as the Hawks' No. 2 in 2025-26 and beyond, as Atlanta's fourth-highest rated player (and tied with Onyeka Okongwu) is borderline ridiculous. Having him share a rating with Shaedon Sharpe is absurd.

Johnson is a player who will almost certainly watch his rating climb as teams start playing games and 2K starts releasing some updated rosters."

Upward trajectory

Johnson has shown flashes of being the most complete player on the Hawks, if not their outright best player at times. While I would argue that still belongs to Trae Young, Johnson is not far behind and if he can actually make that leap, the Hawks are going to be a scary team this season.

Our own Rohan Raman laid out the case in an article:

"If Johnson is an elite defender and rebounder (10+ rebounds per game) while being a great passer (6+ assists per game) and good scorer (20+ points per game), he'd have an argument for being the best player on the 2025-26 Hawks due to all-around impact. Trae might still have him beat due to his offensive gravity, but respectfully, there isn't a world where he's more than a neutral presence on defense. The potential for Johnson to be additive on defense is critical for both his future and the Hawks' ceiling next season.

The numbers bear out that Johnson already took a leap from the 2023-24 season to make himself into a solid defender. His secondary rim protection was better - he improved in rim points saved per 100 possessions, averaging 1.1 points saved (85th percentile) up from 0.4 (76th percentile) and opponents shot 7% worse at the rim due to his presence (82nd percentile). He also upped his steal numbers to 2 per game (82nd percentile) from 1.7 (72nd percentile). However, the biggest growth in his defense was in his efficacy on contesting shots as a perimeter defender last year. Despite his length and athleticism, Johnson actually hasn't been all that effective on closeouts for most of his career. Opponents barely shot worse when Johnson closed out on them - he finished in the 63rd percentile for FG% differential while closing out. That drastically changed in 2024-25. Opposing players shot 3.8% worse from the field when Johnson closed out on them, good for the 91st percentile among all forwards.

Suffice to say, it's ridiculous that Jalen Johnson would barely be considered a top-100 player in the NBA by any metric. He needs to stay healthy and he hasn't reached his potential yet, but there's a slim chance the Hawks have already found a worthy successor to Trae Young's mantle if Young leaves Atlanta next offseason."

If Johnson stays healthy, he could begin to make a case as an All-NBA player and perhaps the best player on the Hawks.

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