What Are Your Early Impressions of NBA 2K23?

It’s launch weekend for NBA2K23. Blazer’s Edge will have an extended review later in the week, but for all those early adopters, we’re curious about your initial impressions of this year’s iteration of the game. It’s not an enviable task, having to innovate each season while keeping graphics excellent and core gameplay approachable. Have the folks at 2K managed it? What play modes are you trying first? Have you found anything particularly joyous or annoying during your early run-throughs?

Personally, the first thing I’ve looked at is the Portland Trail Blazers All-Time team. I could not wait to get my hands on all-time dream lineups for our favorite franchise. This year’s squad is fairly satisfying. The starting lineup consists of:

Clyde Drexler —96 Overall Rating

Bill Walton —95 Overall Rating

Damian Lillard —94 Overall Rating

Maurice Lucas —90 Overall Rating

LaMarcus Aldridge —89 Overall Rating

There are a couple oddities. Neither Maurice Lucas nor LaMarcus Aldridge are small forwards. Rasheed Wallace is not in the NBA2K23 game, one of several former NBA players (notably including Charles Barkley) who aren’t under contractual agreement for use of their likeness. Otherwise Wallace and Aldridge might make a versatile, dream-forward tandem. But the lineup is fun to play with nevertheless, dominant inside for sure.

Portland’s All-Time Bench looks like this:

Terry Porter —88 Overall Rating

Sidney Wicks —88 Overall Rating

Arvydas Sabonis —88 Overall Rating

Geoff Petrie —87 Overall Rating

Jerome Kersey —87 Overall Rating

Jim Paxson —86 Overall Rating

CJ McCollum —86 Overall Rating

Zach Randolph —86 Overall Rating

Kiki Vandeweghe —86 Overall Rating

Kevin Duckworth —85 Overall Rating

Bringing in Sabonis for Walton is exactly as enjoyable as you’d expect it to be. So is watching Vandeweghe, Petrie, and Paxon rain jumpers over the heads of opponents.

It’s particularly satisfying running Portland’s all-time team up against the current version of the Los Angeles Lakers, to teach them a lesson. Yeah, I’m a sicko like that.

Share your initial impressions below as the game unfolds for you in the coming week!

Blazer’s Edge was given a media copy of NBA2K23 for review.