NBA 2K video game provides bulletin board material for Nuggets

To say it hasn’t been a great offseason for the Nuggets would be to put things mildly. They’ve seen multiple key role players leave the team via free agency, including starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. 

They also saw their first-round pick, rookie DaRon Holmes II tear his achilles in the team’s first summer league contest. And they’ve also had no movements on contract negotiations with Jamal Murray who’s coming off a brutal playoffs and Olympics as he heads into the final year of his deal.

Still, all things considered, the Nuggets are in a good spot. They have reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and most of his supporting cast intact. Even with the losses of Pope and others, they figure to be among the favorites to win the Western Conference and vie for another NBA title.

NBA 2K rankings disrespectful to Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon

But they have some doubters around the league, and apparently, the makers of the popular NBA 2K video game franchise are among them. The new version of the game comes out soon and they have been slow-rolling this year’s player rankings.

The Nuggets aren’t getting much respect from the rankers who have placed just two Denver players in the top 60. The top 10 come out on Monday, where Jokic is sure to rank prominently. But Murray was snubbed a bit, ranking just 38th in the league, an 87 overall.

The next Nugget on the list was Aaron Gordon at 61st, an 84 overall, followed closely by Michael Porter Jr. at 67th, an 83 overall. Jokic likely will - and should - be the top overall ranked player, which is obviously fair and justified.

But having Gordon outside the top 60 and Murray outside the top 35 feels a bit dramatic and offensive. Gordon is right behind players like CJ McCollum and Jarrett Allen, and just ahead of Myles Turner and Zach LaVine, which feels like quite a fall from grace for a star on a championship team just a year ago.

But the Murray ranking feels like even more of a slap across the face to suggest that there are 37 players in the league currently better. Murray was the 1B on a title winner just a year ago and now he’s ranked behind players like Pascal Siakam, LaMelo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Chet Holmgren. He’s just ahead of Lauri Markkannen, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Williams, Dejounte Murray, and more.

This feels like an overreaction to a tough summer filled with injuries for Murray. Hopefully, this just provides motivation for him to get healthy and get the team back to their winning ways. Murray is due for some health and a statement season to remind the doubters of his abilities.