2K25 player ratings reveals one major shock about Warriors roster

The hierarchy at the Golden State Warriors has been a major talking point this offseason, with veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green spearheading an otherwise even roster that leaves a myriad of questions.

Who will be the Warriors second offensive option? Who's their third-best player? What does the starting lineup and the rest of the rotation look like? These are all questions still to be answered heading into training camp and preseason next month.

Offseason addition Buddy Hield is the Golden State Warriors fourth best player according to player ratings at the start of NBA 2K25

Jonathan Kuminga was unsurprisingly listed as the Warriors third-best player behind Curry and Green when NBA 2K25 commenced on Wednesday, but more shocking is the fact Buddy Hield ranked fourth albeit tied as a 79 overall alongside Brandin Podziemski.

While 2K may believe Hield is a starting caliber player for Golden State, the reality is that there's a chance he's not in the top seven of Steve Kerr's rotation once the season gets underway against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 23.

The 31-year-old could still be a starting candidate depending on training camp and preseason, but the defensive concerns of a Curry-Hield back court leaves Podziemski or De'Anthony Melton as far more obvious options at this stage.

The fact is that if Hield is a top four player for the Warriors next season, the team is probably in serious trouble and unlikely to achieve their hope of a return to the playoffs. We're talking about someone who saw less than 30 total minutes, including two DNP's, across the first five games of the Philadelphia 76ers first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Sure, Hield exploded for 20 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting in Game 6, but that was the outlier rather than the norm.

If the veteran sharpshooter is the fourth best player next season, it probably means Podziemski hasn't taken the leap most would hope or expect. More importantly, it probably indicates that Andrew Wiggins hasn't had the bounce-back season that Golden State need, potentially leading to his departure via trade by the February deadline.

Is Hield in the Warriors top five players? Most would say no, but 2K seem to think he is at this stage. That's enough to pose further questions on this roster and its capability to be any sort of threat in the Western Conference next season.