Warriors forward blatantly disrespected in strange 2K rating adjustment

It's been nearly a week since the launch of NBA 2K25, with new player ratings for the Golden State Warriors largely reflective of individual performances across the 2023-24 season.

The likes of Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II understandably saw a slide in their ratings after disappointing seasons, while a number of the Warrior young players saw a major boost.

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga should feel disrespected by his rating to start NBA 2K25

No one saw more of a rise than young guard Brandin Podziemski who after starting as a 71 rating in NBA 2K24, increased eight points to be a 79 overall to start 2K25. Despite that jump which sees him as the equal-fourth highest rated player on the team, the 21-year-old wasn't overly impressed as he made known on X (formerly Twitter) last week.

But while Podziemski may feel hard done by, it's fellow rising star Jonathan Kuminga who should feel most aggrieved by his 80 overall rating to start the game. That rating may not be totally off the mark in itself, yet it is strange when you consider he finished 2K24 as a 82 overall.

2K player ratings are updated throughout a season to reflect a player's real-life form, but what did Kuminga do during the offseason to see a -2 point adjustment? Podziemski also saw a +1 increase from his 78 rating to conclude 2K24, but at least you could point to his brief but impressive performances in Summer League as a reason why. Kuminga, on the other hand, got harshly adjusted in a move that also took him out of the top 100 rated players in the league.

Kuminga still saw a +3 increase from his 77 rating to start 2K24, yet fellow 2021 lottery pick Moses Moody also saw a +3 adjustment. Most Golden State fans would acknowledge that Kuminga had more of a breakout than Moody in 2023-24, particularly over the second half of the season where he averaged 18.6 points per game and started to emerge in Most Improved Player discussions.

It once again shows that 2K can change player ratings for no apparent reason, and hopefully it does nothing but provide extra motivation for Kuminga who is set to enter a vitally important fourth year in the league.