NBA 2K27 predicts the season: LeBron's shocking start with 76ers, a new MVP and an NBA Finals rematch

· Yahoo Sports

For the third year in a row, Yahoo Sports is simulating a full NBA season in the latest entry in the NBA 2K franchise — NBA 2K27.

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Last year's simulation proved to be shockingly accurate. Not only did NBA 2K26 predict the Knicks to win the NBA Finals and Jalen Brunson to be named NBA Finals MVP, it also nailed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's repeat bid for MVP, Victor Wembanyama's Defensive Player of the Year nod and Cooper Flagg's Rookie of the Year victory. It even had the Wizards as the league's worst team, albeit with half of the wins the real-life version managed to muster.

All things considered, it was safe to say one of the best simulation video game experiences on the market walked the walk.

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For those new to this series, here are the rules: We select one team, at random (Miami Heat) and run through a MyEras season with CPU trade offers turned off, with G-League, scouting and rotational decisions set to automatic. The simulation is halted to record the NBA Cup winner, at the end of the regular season and before the NBA Finals.

(Disclaimer: Although the NBA has ruled in the Kawhi Leonard-Clippers investigation, Leonard's trade to the Raptors remains in limbo, so for this simulation he is still a member of the Clippers roster.)

Let's dive in!

LeBron James and the Sixers will hope nothing from the nightmare simulated season comes to pass. (Screenshot/2K Games/NBA2K27)

Much like last year, before the simulation fully got underway, we were prompted that LeBron James would be retiring — despite signing a two-year deal with the Sixers — and offered the option to have him do a retirement tour.

Since we'd be simulating everything anyway, we declined.

That housekeeping item aside, there's no way to sugarcoat how James' first — and perhaps only — season with the Sixers went, according to NBA 2K27. In what will wind up being his age-42 season, James played 77 games and finished with career lows in minutes per game (30.5), points (16.9) and assists (4.9). Even his rebounding average (5.6) was the lowest total since his rookie season.

If James' struggles weren't enough of a surprise, the revamped Sixers were the biggest shocker of the entire simulation, and not in a good way. Philadelphia, after adding James and trading for Jaylen Brown, finished 14th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-55. Brown's scoring took a major dip, dropping more than seven points per game, and his scoring (21.5) and assist (3.3) averages were the lowest since the 2019-20 season.

Injuries did not play a major role in Philadelphia's nightmare season, as only Tyrese Maxey missed significant time (20 games) of the projected starting lineup of Brown, James, Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid.

Considering the talent and level of expectations surrounding the 76ers, this was easily the least feasible outcome of anything that happened in the 2K27 simulation.

Anthony Edwards helps lead the Timberwolves to the NBA's best record in the 2K27 simulation. (Screenshot/2K Games/NBA2K27)

No, it wasn't the Mavs for a third consecutive year.

This time the NBA's best record belonged to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who reloaded their roster in an attempt to surround Anthony Edwards with a championship-caliber supporting cast during his prime.

In NBA 2K27, the experiment worked, as Minnesota finished with the best record in the NBA (63-19), with Chris Finch taking home Coach of the Year honors. The Wolves finished as a top-3 team in both offense and defense, and the pairing of Edwards and LaMelo Ball was lethal. Ant-Man finished second in the league in scoring (29 PPG) and Ball was fifth in assists (7.5 APG).

On the other side …

The Bucks were the NBA's worst squad, which shouldn't come as a huge surprise considering the heavy rebuild in the wake of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade this offseason. Milwaukee finished 24-58 and had a bottom-10 squad on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's first season with Miami doesn't result in a deep playoff run. (Screenshot/2K Games/NBA2K27)

GTA VI isn't the only hotly anticipated, Miami-related debut this fall, as Antetokounmpo is set to play for a non-Bucks team for the first time in his career.

Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo and the Heat, things did not start off well. Before the month of November was over, Antetokounmpo (right hand fracture), Tim Hardaway Jr. (broken ankle), and Bam Adebayo (twisted knee) were all shelved for multiple weeks. Bobby Portis would suffer a season-ending knee injury in February.

Despite all of the injuries, Miami did manage to make the playoffs, finishing 38-44, good for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, and Antetokounmpo was named the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year, finishing with 21.7 points per game, 11.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 stocks.

Miami was ousted in the first round of the play-in tournament by the Bulls.

The in-season tournament final featured the defending Cup and NBA champion-Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Led by NBA Cup MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder took down the Knicks in what would be an ominous sign for New York.

Victor Wembanyama filled his trophy case in the NBA 2K27 simulation, including a second consecutive DPOY award. (Screenshot/2K Games/NBA2K27)

Most Valuable Player — Although Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring (31.9 PPG), the Victor Wembanyama Era officially got underway in NBA 2K27. Wembanyama — who won Defensive Player of the Year in the simulation as well — finished the season averaging 25 points per game, 13.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.9 stocks. While Wembanyama will continue to face stiff competition from both Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić in the MVP race, this feels like more of an inevitability for the 22-year-old, assuming he stays healthy.

Rookie of the Year — Memphis' Cameron Boozer edged No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa to become the second consecutive Duke player to win the award. Boozer finished with averages of 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Dybantsa averaged 10.8 and 4.9 in the same categories for the Wizards.

Coach of the Year — Chris Finch, Timberwolves

Defensive Player of the Year — Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Sixth Man of the Year — Jalen Green, Suns

Most Improved Player — Zaccharie Risacher, Mavericks

Clutch Player of the Year — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Heat

The NBA playoff bracket entering the postseason. (Screenshot/2K Games/NBA2K27)

The NBA 2K franchise must really love the Knicks, because for the third year in a row, New York is playing for the (simulated) Larry O'Brien trophy. The Knicks finished with the second seed in the Eastern Conference and marched through the bracket, with Jalen Brunson winning East Finals MVP by averaging 31.3 points per game. Waiting for him on the other side was a familiar foe.

San Antonio, led by league MVP Wembanyama, took down the No. 1 seed Timberwolves in the West finals, with Wembanyama adding to his trophy case in the process.

Victor Wembanyama joins an exclusive club with a magical season in the NBA 2K27 simulation. (Screenshot/2K Games/NBA2K27)

In the rematch of the actual NBA Finals from last year, the script was flipped entirely, with the Spurs sweeping the Knicks in dominant fashion. In Game 2 and Game 4, Wembanyama finished with 20-plus rebounds and had an astonishing eight blocks in the closeout game. Wembanyama finished the series averaging 26.5 points, 18.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and seven stocks, earning the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award.

If Wembanyama were to win NBA MVP, be named Defensive Player of the Year and capture the NBA Finals MVP Award, he would join Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to do so in the same season.

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