The latest NBA 2K27 ratings give Mavericks fans a look at where Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving stand before the new season begins.
DALLAS - NBA 2K has been slowly rolling out its top 100 player ratings ahead of NBA 2K27’s release and the recent countdown reached the Dallas Mavericks.
Both Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving landed at an 87 overall, checking in at No. 37 and No. 36 in the league, respectively, with Irving holding the slightest edge over his young teammate. They are the only two Mavericks to crack the game’s top 100.
Sharing an identical rating is a fun bit of symmetry, but the more interesting story is how each player arrived at 87, because they got there from completely opposite directions. Both players saw their overall ratings shift during the offseason, but for different reasons.
Flagg’s number is a story of ascension. He debuted in NBA 2K26 at an 82 overall entering his rookie season, then climbed to an 88 by the end of the year on the strength of a Rookie of the Year campaign. Starting the new game at 87 represents a five-point jump from where he began his career in the previous edition, reflecting how much he proved as a rookie while averaging 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Irving’s number tells the opposite tale. He carried a 90 overall in NBA 2K26 and held that mark all season while sidelined with a torn ACL. Now, in 2K27, he has dropped three points to an 87, with the video game essentially docking him for missing the full 2025-26 season. It is a curious adjustment, penalizing a player for an injury rather than a decline in play, but it is the kind of change 2K tends to make when a star misses an extended stretch.
Even with the dip, Irving still grades out as elite in the specific skills that have always defined his game. According to the attribute breakdowns, Irving ranks No. 1 in the league in ball handling with a 99, a fitting nod to one of the best handles in basketball history. He also ranks No. 3 in mid-range shooting with a 98, trailing only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić. Those are the tools that made him one of the most skilled guards in basketball before the injury and 2K clearly still respects them.
The context matters, though. These are video game numbers assigned before a single game of the 2026-27 season has been played and both stars have reason to believe they are headed up rather than down. Flagg is a rising second-year player with a full offseason of development behind him, while Irving was docked for an injury he could not control. A return to the floor allows him to prove the 87 rating does not reflect where his game is headed.
