'NBA 2K17' player ratings: LeBron James tops; Stephen Curry down by two points

With the release date of "NBA 2K17" fast approaching, which is on Sept. 20, avid fans of LeBron James would be happy to know that he is once again the top-rated player. The Cav's small forward is followed by the Golden State Warrior's Stephen Curry.

Here is a quick rundown of the top 18 players rating according to Sporting News:

96 - LeBron James
94 - Stephen Curry
93 - Kevin Durant
93 - Russell Westbrook
93 - Kawhi Leonard
91 - Chris Paul
90 - Klay Thompson
90 - Draymond Green
90 - James Harden
90 - Anthony Davis
90 - DeMarcus Cousins
89 - Paul George
89 - Kyrie Irving
89 - Damian Lillard
88 - Carmelo Anthony
88 - Karl-Anthony Towns
88 - Jimmy Butler
88 - John Wall

Compared to last year, James's rating has not changed, while Curry is down by two. Kevin Durant is one point less than last year, while Russell Westbrook is down by two. Additionally, with the updated ratings, the Warriors have surpassed the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team in terms of rating, which the now have four players with a rating of 90 and above, Cavaliers Nation added.

It is worth noting that James started out on the top post during last year's edition but was overtaken by Curry during the mid-season. Curry's rating went up as high as Michael Jordan's 99.

Meanwhile, "NBA 2K17" will also be offering a slightly different shooting categories. Last year, it was "Standing" and "Moving." For this year, it will be "Open," "Contested," and Moving. This has something to do with Curry's insane shooting skills, so it could be nearly represented on the game.

"NBA 2K17" will be released worldwide on Sept. 20 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Pacer's Paul George will grace the cover of the Standard Edition, while Kobe Bryant will be on the cover of the Legend Edition.

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