Why NBA 2K's simulation picked the Memphis Grizzlies to win the NBA championship

Don’t second guess the algorithm on the popular video game series, NBA 2K.

That’s one of the lessons Ronnie Singh — Digital Marketing Director for 2K Games — has learned. Singh, also known as “Ronnie 2K”, and the 2K team’s simulation on the 2022-23 season has the Memphis Grizzlies winning the NBA championship in seven games over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ja Morant, who won Finals MVP in the simulation, is a major reason why Memphis got the nod. Singh mentioned Morant’s name with Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker and Luka Doncic when describing the upper-tier players of this generation.

“I think Ja has more pieces than some of the other players that I mentioned on that list, which makes them an absolute title contender as long as they can deal with their demons and knock off some of the teams they’ve had trouble with in the last couple of playoffs,” Singh said.

Simulations are predictions. Even though injuries occurred during 2K’s simulation, it is impossible to correctly predict which teams will lose players and for how long.

There’s no complicated formula that 2K uses during its simulation. Much of the basis of the prediction is determined by how 2K rates players and teams. The system is so intricate that it could upgrade without humans helping out because it can recognize large sample sizes of improved play, but the 2K ratings team also watches many hours of basketball.

“Our game is trying to take into account all the variables that teams deal with on an annual basis and spit out the most knowledge, educated guess based on all those variables,” Singh said.

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The Grizzlies are one of 10 teams given a tier-one rating on 2K23. Their 82 overall is tied for second behind the Boston Celtics with an 84.

Singh has said in past interviews that he personally thinks the Grizzlies may be one year away, but the algorithm has proved him wrong before. When the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship in 2015 in Steve Kerr’s first season as the head coach, 2K predicted that run. The game also predicted that the Los Angeles Lakers would win during the COVID-impacted 2020 season.

Tatum won the regular season MVP award in the simulation. After starting the season with the seventh-best odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, Tatum has moved up to third behind Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo while arguably being the MVP to this point of the season

“Sometimes I look at the simulation, and I’m like, ‘eh, I don’t know about that,’” Singh said. “And we just leave it. We’re like, look, that’s what the game said, so we’re not going to tinker with this thing. And I can’t tell you how many times it’s been really correct, spot-on and right.”

One reason why the Grizzlies are a trending team to rise on 2K is Morant. He has the 10th-highest overall rating on the game, but even that doesn’t signify his impact.

Some players are viewed as cheat codes. Singh mentioned J.R. Smith on the older 2K games with his ability to rise up and dunk through traffic. Many people believe Morant is one of those types of players on NBA 2K23.

When playing with Morant, it doesn’t take the elite dribble moves for him to score as much as others. Simply attacking the basket and pressing the shoot button will put him in position to make a creative layup or dunk on an opponent.

Elite athleticism is why Morant is easier to play with than most players. Singh compared his fandom to Derrick Rose with the Chicago Bulls.

“He is kind of the perfect 2K player, which makes him absolutely unstoppable when it comes to 2K,” Singh said.

“Outside of Giannis, he’s probably the most fun person to play the game with. He has more range than Giannis, too, so you can even make an argument that he’s more fun to play with.”

Even beyond Morant, Singh believes the Grizzlies are one of the top teams that gamers play with. He mentioned how the 2K game views Desmond Bane as a “star,” and the youth of the team makes them a popular option on the MyLeague mode since most of the core is signed for multiple seasons.

In years past, 2K has shown statistics on which teams are played with the most in quick-game modes. The Lakers and Warriors are often at the top, but Singh said he would bet that the Grizzlies are top three.

“It’s not surprising a young team that has a really fun player to play with and more than role players surrounding him that can also score and you can do fun stuff with,” Singh said. “That’s why people gravitate to playing (with) the Grizzlies in 2K.”

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: NBA 2K picks Memphis Grizzlies to win NBA championship, Ja Morant MVP