The initial ratings for NBA 2K25 are slowly being rolled out. Their countdown of the top 100 rated players kicked off on Monday. Included in that initial group was Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland as the 75th-best player in the game with an 82 overall rating. The players listed in front of him include Jeremy Grant, Herb Jones, Jalen Suggs, and Alex Caruso.

It’s no secret Garland wasn’t himself last season which led to this rating. The jaw injury that caused him to lose 12 pounds and the significant death in his family contributed to the disappointing season. Garland finished with his lowest points (18), effective field goal percentage (52.4%), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.12) in the past three years.

Despite the struggles, this rating seems extremely low compared to other updated NBA player rankings. For example, The Ringer has Garland ranked 54th overall. Even a less generous evaluation like that of HoopsHype has him as 67th.

Last season’s struggles obscure just how good he was the previous two years. Garland’s breakout season in 2021-22 was impressive. He showed how he could elevate his game into a lead ball handler role on a roster that wasn’t constructed to make his life easy offensively. Garland followed that up by having the best season of his career after the Donovan Mitchell trade. He found a way to remain assertive while decreasing his usage and upping his efficiency as a scorer and passer. This is why he was justifiably rated 87 and 86 overall in 2K23 and 2K24.

There’s a larger discussion to be had about how Garland is perceived around the league. Two seasons ago he was an up-and-coming guard who was in the same conversation as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton. Both players have far exceeded him, but there was a reason he was in that tier. He had flashed the same high-level upside that Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton have both actualized consistently.

Now, he’s being lumped into the same tier as Austin Reaves (15.9 points, 5.5 assists last season), Mike Conley (11.4 points, 5.9 assists), Jalen Suggs (12.6 points, 2.7 assists), and Alex Caruso (10.1 points and 3.5 assists). As talented as each guard is, none of them have the upside or even close to the offensive talent as a scorer and passer that Garland does.

Last season was a speed bump in Garland’s career. How he responds this upcoming season could determine the trajectory of his career.