Several Pelicans get NBA 2K25 ratings update amid horrid start to season

Regardless of how some fans may feel about it, NBA 2K is an integral part of the league now. The game and its ratings, both for teams and individual players, may not be perfect products, but they are an important encapsulation of how the newest season has played out. Following the ratings can even be a decent way to summarize the happenings of the NBA and see which teams and players are trending up or down.

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a season from hell. They're currently the worst team in the Western Conference, sitting in the 15th seed at just 4-13. A good deal of their players came into the season seemingly underrated by NBA 2K25, but they haven't done anything to help their cases so far this year. Of course, with the litany of injuries they've suffered through, most of which impacted their core players, there's not much any of them could have done.

While there is important context surrounding the Pelicans' poor performance so far this season, the numbers don't care much for context. The standings don't include asterisks for injuries and neither do the box scores. NBA 2K shouldn't care much either, but it does seem like they're giving New Orleans a bit of grace for all of their absences.

Pelicans players receive ratings boosts despite their terrible season so far

Because Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III have missed the majority of the campaign, NBA 2K has left their ratings alone, as it's hard to gauge how good a player is when they're not playing. Brandon Ingram has remained the one constant for the Pelicans, playing in all of their games but one this year, and his 2K rating reflects that.

Many surmised that Ingram would thrive once given the opportunity to be the number one option for a team, as his game is suited for a role that revolves around him controlling the ball and dominating the offense. Unfortunately for both him and the Pelicans, that hasn't been the case. Even with a much larger role and practically no competition on the team for shots and opportunities, Ingram's numbers have remained stagnant. As such, his rating has remained the same at 87 after this latest update.

Pretty much everyone else for New Orleans received a small bump, however. Due to their depleted roster, the Pelicans have been able to give playing time to a lot of players that normally wouldn't be in the rotation. According to NBA 2K, a lot of them have taken advantage of their chances. The following Pelicans all received a ratings boost in 2K's latest update:

Jose Alvarado: 79 OVR (+1)
Brandon Boston Jr.: 77 OVR (+4)
Yves Missi: 77 OVR (+4)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: 75 OVR (+2)
Trey Jemison III: 73 OVR (+1)
Antonio Reeves: 72 OVR (+4)

The only Pelican to drop in this patch was Daniel Theis, losing two points down to 71 overall. No one can say that it wasn't deserved.