Who Will Be the Best Players in NBA 2K in Five Years

Continuing my trend of guessing the best players in each sports game in five years (I’ve already predicted the best offensive and defensive players for Madden 31), I’ve decided to try my hand at basketball, more specifically, NBA 2K. We are currently on NBA 2K26, which would inform my prediction for NBA 2K31, covering the 2030-2031 NBA season.

I will break down the current best players at each of the five positions in the game and then outline my 2030 predictions, providing a rationale for each pick. A lot could change between now and 2030 in the Basketball world, but some things are more predictable than others. I don’t know where each player will be playing as the NBA is famous for its player turnover, so I won’t spend any time predicting that. I will, however, need to try to predict which players will be playing which position. The NBA is a constantly evolving game, and players frequently switch positions to keep up with the increasingly positionless nature of the league. 

I tried my best to predict which players will be the best at each position. Here’s what I came up with.

Point Guards

Current Top Five Point Guards 

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 98 OVR, 8th season
2. Luka Doncic, 95 OVR, 8th season
3. Steph Curry, 94 OVR, 17th season
4. Jalen Brunson, 93 OVR, 8th season
5. Tyrese Haliburton, 93 OVR, 6th season

Prediction of Top Five Point Guards in Five Years

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 99 OVR, 13th season
2. Anthony Edwards, 98 OVR, 11th season
3. Luka Doncic, 96 OVR, 13th season
4. Cade Cunningham, 95 OVR, 10th season
5. Dylan Harper, 91 OVR, 6th season

Rationale

SGA remains my number one because I firmly believe he is about to lead a team to an all-time dominant dynasty that’s about to win a series of titles that will firmly place him as the top dawg in the league. Behind him is Anthony Edwards, who I think will eventually morph from a primary ball-handling shooting guard to the Timberwolves’ full-time point guard in the next few years if they can add a few more shot creators.

After Ant comes Luka, who, despite my concerns about his longevity, is still one of the best all-around players in the game, and there is little evidence that he will fall apart within the next few years. After him, I have Cade Cunningham, who is on a trajectory to be a top-five PG by next year, in the four spot. I have Dylan Harper as my fifth guy because of his high draft standing and potential for growth over the next five years. This pushes Curry, who may retire by 2030, out of the top, along with Haliburton and Brunson, who will still be in the top ten but may drop off slightly due to health and age.

Shooting Guards

Current Top Five Shooting Guards

1. Anthony Edwards, 95 OVR, 6th season
2. Donovan Mitchell, 93 OVR, 9th season
3. Derrick White, 87 OVR, 9th season
4. Amen Thompson, 87 OVR, 3rd season
5. Zach Lavine, 85 OVR, 12th season

Prediction of Top Five Shooting Guards in Five Years

1. Amen Thompson, 92 OVR, 8th season
2. Brandon Miller, 89 OVR, 8th season
3. Darryn Peterson, 88 OVR, 5th season
4. Bilal Coulibaly, 87 OVR, 8th season
5. Donovan Mitchell, 86 OVR, 14th season

Rationale

With Ant now as a PG, the only SG in the current top five who will be under 30 in 2030 is Amen Thompson, whom I believe is heads and shoulders above his peers, such as Brandon Miller and Bilal Coulibaly, as the best young shooting guard in the league. Miller sneaks into my second spot, right in front of 2026 draft prospect Darryn Peterson from Kansas, who could be the Amen Thompson of 2030, as one of the better younger players in the league at the time.

Assuming the Wizards don’t blow their opportunity to capitalize on a massive wave of young talent on their roster, the Wizards in 2030 could look a lot like the Thunder do now in 2025. That would make Bilal Coulibaly either SGA (not likely) or Jalen Williams, which is possible, but I’m putting him a few overall points short of J-Dub for now. Behind Coulibaly is a wily veteran, Donovan Mitchell, who could still be playing at a dominant level as a second scoring option on a good team.

Small Forwards

Current Top Five Small Forwards

1. LeBron James, 94 OVR, 23rd season
2. Kevin Durant, 93 OVR, 18th season
3. Jalen Williams, 91 OVR, 4th season
4. Jaylen Brown, 90 OVR, 10th season
5. Franz Wagner 86 OVR, 5th season

Prediction of Top Five Small Forwards in Five Years

1. Cooper Flagg, 97 OVR, 6th season
2. Jalen Williams, 96 OVR, 9th season
3. Jayson Tatum, 94 OVR, 14th season
4. Tyron Stokes, 91 OVR, 4th season
5. A.J. Dynbantsa, 90 OVR, 5th season

Rationale

Cooper Flagg is as sure a thing as you can get in the NBA (please don’t find this article in the future if he falls apart), so he’s definitely my number one, followed by J-Dub because I’m high on the Thunder. I have four of the five current top players falling out of the 2030 top ten, including the likely retirements of LeBron and KD. I have Jayson Tatum switching positions as the Celtics try to adapt to a slimmer, less expensive roster of the next few years, making him the third-best SF. 

Rounding out the list are two youngsters who have lit up the high school ranks and will soon do the same in College and then the NBA: Tyron Stokes, who is committed to Notre Dame, and A.J. Dynbansta, who is going to play at BYU this upcoming season.

Power Forwards

Current Top Five Power Forwards

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 97 OVR, 13th season
2. Jayson Tatum, 94 OVR, 9th season
3. Anthony Davis, 93 OVR, 14th season
4. Kawhi Leonard, 92 OVR, 14th season
5. Paolo Banchero, 90 OVR, 4th season

Prediction of Top Five Power Forwards in Five Years

1. Paolo Banchero, 95 OVR, 9th season
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 93 OVR, 18th season
3. Evan Mobley, 91 OVR, 9th season
4. Scottie Barnes, 88 OVR, 10th season
5. Alexandre Sarr, 86 OVR, 7th season

Rationale

Already boasting a 90 overall rating going into his fourth season, I expect Paolo Banchero to continue his trend of impressive offensive performances and further increase his overall rating. Giannis will likely still be producing at a high level in 2030, but I could see him in the low 90s by then after years near 99. These two are currently in the top five on my 2030 list, with Tatum in a new position and AD and Kawhi nearing 40 by then, so I have a new trio of players between three and five.

Mobley could be a center or power forward, but I went with power forward to ensure he’s on the list, as he is one of the most dominant defenders in the league and may have multiple DPOYs by 2030. I then put Scottie Barnes as number four. I didn’t realize how young he was; he won’t even be 30 by 2030! Rounding out the top five is another Wizards player, alongside Coulibaly, to be part of a future dynasty in Alexandre Sarr in the frontcourt.

Centers

Current Top Five Centers

1. Nikola Jokic, 98 OVR, 11th season
2. Victor Wembanyama, 94 OVR, 3rd season
3. Joel Embiid, 92 OVR, 10th season
4. Karl-Anthony Towns, 92 OVR, 11th season
5. Ivica Zubac, 87 OVR, 10th season

Prediction of Top Five Centers in Five Years

1. Victor Wembanyama, 99 OVR, 8th season
2. Nikola Jokic, 97 OVR, 17th season
3. Chet Holmgren, 95 OVR, 9th season
4. Alperen Sengun, 93 OVR, 10th season
5. Jaren Jackson Jr., 91 OVR, 13th season

Rationale

Wemby is my guess as the number one player in the game and likely the cover athlete if he hadn’t already been. He’s just such a generational talent with unmatched physical potential. After him is the current best player in the game, Nikola Jokic, who by 2030 might slip a few overall points, but he plays the game in such a way that I think he might be great until he’s 45. After Jokic, my third and final Thunder player rounding out their big three is Chet Holmgren, who might be one of the most electric big men in the league by the end of the decade ( honestly, he kind of already is). 

While I think Embiid, KAT, and Zubac will still be in the league and will still be varying levels of decent, they likely won’t have such lofty overall ratings in their mid-thirties, especially compared to some of the young studs that are gaining on them in the league. These young players, such as Alperen Sengun from the Rockets and Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies, possess the athleticism and playmaking abilities to potentially take over the positions of some of the older greats, like Embiid and Towns.