Simulating the upcoming season in NBA 2K23

I simulated the upcoming season in NBA 2K23. Here are the results.

MVP Award: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks (37.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 10.8 APG)

NBA2K loves Luka Doncic for MVP this season. They could be right. Dončić is the favorite heading into the season, according to most sportsbooks. In the game, Dončić averaged crazy individual numbers on the season and led the Mavericks to the conference finals where they ultimately lost to the top seed in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies.

Now while I do not see Dončić averaging 38 points per game this upcoming season, I do think the NBA would be happy to crown Luka the MVP as long as he provides a season that gets him in the conversation, which is very likely. In addition, he leads his team to compete in the West yet again.

Rookie of the Year: Jabari Smith, Houston Rockets (18.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG)

The third overall pick in this year's NBA draft, Jabari Smith Jr., wins the Rookie of the Year award after delivering solid numbers in his rookie campaign. I think that this has a very realistic chance of becoming a reality. In Houston, he will be given as much opportunity as any other rookie this season to showcase his talent. I fully believe Smith Jr. will be in the mix for the award when all is said and done, which will mean good things for Smith Jr., the Houston Rockets, and their fans moving forward.

Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (22.1 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.0 APG)

Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez /Associated Press

AD makes an appearance in the awards section of the simulation, even with the Lakers only securing the seventh seed in the postseason. In the simulation where injuries were on, AD was able to stay healthy, and as a result, he put up Anthony Davis type of numbers. He went on to win Defensive Player of the Year, an attainable goal for Davis.

The big thing we all know about him is that he needs to stay healthy and be out on the floor. There are not many people out there that do not believe in Davis's talent, and he seems ready to go out and prove to people he is one of the best players in the world this season. Given a healthy and motivated season, AD is one of the top candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year.

Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls (55-27 Record, Tied for the best record in the NBA with the Grizzlies)

NBA2K loves the Chicago Bulls this season. Their head coach Billy Donovan won Coach of the Year after leading the team to be tied for the best overall record with the Memphis Grizzlies. Both of those teams have very good rosters, top to bottom, making them favorites of the simulation even though they do not have a player in the MVP race. This is not too far-fetched to me, and if the Bulls were to be the one seed in the East this upcoming season, Donovan would have a strong case for Coach of the Year.

2023 NBA Championship: Chicago Bulls defeat the Memphis Grizzlies in 6 games, Zach Lavine Finals MVP

Photo by Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Bulls, in real life, looked like a team in the first half of last season that could compete for a title but ultimately fell off and struggled a bit in the second half after dealing with injuries. In 2K, with their strong roster, they are one of the best teams in 2K23. This team in the simulation had a healthy Lonzo Ball, so this is already one thing that is working against the team in real life, as he is a very important part of their roster and is set to miss the start of the season at least. To me, the Grizzlies are more likely to go on a run in real life and make the Finals this season than the Chicago Bulls are. But for this simulation, the Chicago Bulls are your 2022-23 NBA champions!

Honorable mention: Sixth Man of the Year- Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets (16.3 ppg, 7.7 reb, 7.8 ast)

This award stands alone in the honorable mention category, as the game's algorithm swayed this award. Ben Simmons wins the Sixth Man of the Year award in the simulation.

Now, this could be an award that the simulation got wrong in my opinion solely because I do not envision Simmons coming off the bench for the Nets. Instead, I think this award was victim to the Nets' roster construction and the game's algorithm not putting both "point guards" Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in the lineup simultaneously.

Nonetheless, if Simmons were to come off the bench, I could see this becoming reality. Andre Drummond, a big man of the Chicago Bulls, finished second for this award, and that is more likely than Simmons winning it to me just based on the fact that Drummond may come off the bench all season long.