The Phoenix Suns, by an extremely thin margin, had an overall 2K MT defense ranking third in the regular season last season and could have easily had the distinction of being first. A collective team effort is essential to sustain this level of excellence over the course of the 82 games played, and fourth-year forward Mikal Bridges played an important role in that. Not only did he play every game but his position was considered to be the most important defender in the team.
However, that's not reflected in his 2K23 overall or defense per-perimeter rating. His overall rating did not increase from 2K22 - it stayed at 83. Additionally, his defensive rating for the perimeter is at 82 (A-minus) and is second on the team behind Chris Paul's 90. For someone who came in second in Defensive Player of the Award last season, both of those ratings could be better.
Moving to one of the most underrated players in the NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams is the next player to be considered for two reasons. One is defense on the perimeter, where the 27-year-old has made an image in Oklahoma. He's extremely aggressive, hard to beat at the point of attack and extremely strong in one-on-1 situations and, in general, much better than he's been credited for. He's in the ninth spot on the team in defensive perimeter behind players such as Ty Jerome and Aleksej Poku?evski and Ty Jerome, something that shouldn't be happening.
On the other hand Williams is the 5th-highest 3 point rating of the team despite finishing 10th in 3-point percentage this season at 33.9% . 0.8 creates a game. Williams has a profile that isn't totally accurate, but his 75 overall is a reasonable starting point (even when it should actually be more like 77).
Russell Westbrook's homecoming with Lakers Los Angeles Lakers did not go as planned. He began 2K22 with an 86 overall but slowly declined after uncharacteristic form through the entire season. His former MVP of the league is at 78 overall and is third on the team . This is where the season ended at 2K22. You won't get many arguments to suggest that he's no longer the player he was in 2016. but it seems pretty harsh to drop him to an average of 78 in a single season. The shot IQ is 25 which is the second most low score and not surprising at all.
If you want to compare, players rated 78 in total include Patrick Beverley, Westbrook's new teammate, Cole Cheap NBA 2K23 MT Anthony, Jakob Poeltl and rookies Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. Perhaps Westbrook should've been in the starting line somewhere in between 80 and 83? This isn't just a shun, it's more of an "How can he continue to receive good reviews?"