Category: NBA 2K23 News

Best Finishing Badges for Every Position in NBA 2K23

With shooting requiring more grinding and skill this year, finishing has become an integral part of the game for the first time in a few years. In this article we break down the best finishing badges for every position and tier:

Jump to: Guards | Swings | Big Men

Guards

Guards are focused on rim-running and finishing among big men, and these picks reflect these particular skills:

Tier 3

  1. Posterizer: Dunking over people is one of the most important parts of finishing this year, and this badge will help you get more poster dunks.
  2. Limitless Takeoff: Dunking from further out is one of the most important skills, especially if someone is paint-sitting or help defense. This badge will help you get more dunks in general, as well.
  3. Slithery: Sometimes contact dunks aren’t the best move, and this badge will help you avoid contact with bigger defenders. It works well as it’s job, although it requires more finesse than going for a poster.

Tier 2

  1. Pro Touch: If you have layup timing on, this badge is seriously going to increase the number of layups, dunks, and alley-oops you make. Just time these moves OK and this badge will take care of the rest.
  2. Fearless Finisher: Whereas Posterizer helps with contact dunks, Fearless Finisher helps with contact layups. You don’t always need a contact dunk, and this badge will ensure you still get some points.

Tier 1

  1. Giant Slayer: Finishing around bigger players is tough any year, but this badge is going to help you get some points on the board when bigger defenders come to contest your layups.
  2. Aerial Wizard: You probably won’t have too many opportunities for alley-oops, but this badge will help whether you get the chance or there are special events around alley-oops.

Swings

6’6″ to 6’9″ players should be focused on finishing dunks and layups off the catch in transition or on a cut, and the following badges help you maximize these situations:

Tier 3

  1. Posterizer: You’re bigger, stronger, and probably have a higher dunk rating than guards. This badge is going to help you finish dunks more often and get some pretty cool animations.
  2. Limitless Takeoff: Another badge that helps your dunking ability, this time by increasing the distance you dunk from.
  3. Bully: This badge helps you get through the paint to the basket more effectively, especially against smaller defenders. Not necessary, but great if you have the extra badge points.

Tier 2

  1. Fearless Finisher: You might not be finishing a lot of layups as a swing, but this badge is going to help you finish contact layups in the event that you do not trigger a contact dunk.
  2. Aerial Wizard: Catching alley-oops off the cut or in transition are some of the most electrifying plays in NBA 2K23, and this badge is going to boost your chances of making these oops.

Tier 1

  1. Pro Touch: This badge will help your timing on layups, dunks, and alley-oops. For very few badge points, this badge is awesome.
  2. Rise Up: If you ever find yourself under the basket with the ball, this badge will help you get much safer dunks, rather than layups that either miss or get blocked at a higher rate.

Big Men

Big Men are focused on interior finishing and dunking on smaller players. These are the best finishing badges to do so:

Tier 3

  1. Bully: This is such an apt name for what a big man should be doing, as this badge boosts your ability to steamroll through the paint towards the basket.
  2. Masher: Another great badge for big men that allows them to finish over smaller players. Not necessarily a must-have, but a great badge if you find yourself in mismatches frequently.
  3. Rise Up: Another big man-focused badge that allows you to complete more standing dunks. Best complemented with a high standing dunk rating, but otherwise not very useful.

Tier 2

  1. Posterzier: Whether it’s a standing dunk over a smaller player or a driving dunk, Posterizer will allow you to dunk over opponents.
  2. Backdown Punisher: There aren’t a ton of back-to-basket centers in the game, but this badge helps all big men back down opponents to either score in the paint, or dish the ball from the post.

Tier 1

  1. Pro Touch: Again, a necessary badge to help with timing alley-oops, dunks, and layups. All you need is decent timing, and this badge will boost the chances you make the shot.
  2. Fearless Finisher: This goes along well with Masher, in that it will help you finish contact layups in the paint. It’s cheap and effective, so we recommend using it.

Check out our other guides on the best badges for the other badge categories:

NBA 2K23 Takeover Options

In NBA 2K23, you will have 25 total Takeover options to choose from, with eight main categories that are then broken into three subcategories. You can see the complete list and descriptions below.

Slashers: Slashers receive extra boosts to finishing at the rim in traffic and more effective gathers to get past the defense.

  • Advanced Gathers: Unlocks more effective spin, euro, hop step, and cradle gathers
  • Finishing Moves: Able to absorb contact and finish at the rim more effectively.
  • Easy Blowbys: Enhances abilities for slashers to beat defenders off the dribble.

Shot Creator: Shot Creators become more effective at shooting off the dribble and can shake off defenders consistently using stepback and spin gathers.

  • Pull-Up Precision: Boosts well-timed/aimed shots off the dribble.
  • Anklebreaking Shots: More anklebreakers off of spin and stepback jumpers.
  • Negative Impact: Reduces defensive impact against pull-ups and other skill shots.

Spot Up Shooter: Shop Up Shooters get a marked improvement to hit from deep, especially in catch and shoot situations.

  • Limitless Range: Extend your shooting range out to the logos.
  • Spot-up Precision: Boosts well timed/aimed stationary jump shots.

Playmaker: Playmakers can freeze defenders more often with augmented ball handling abilities and can enhance their teammates’ shot making off assists.

  • Team Ratings Boost: Playmakers boost their teammates’ offensive ratings
  • Team Takeover Boost: Boost your teammates’ takeover meter progress.
  • Team Badge Boost: Boosts your teammates’ badges up a tier.

Lockdown Defender: Lockdown Defenders receive boosts to steals and shot contests, allowing them to clamp down even the best scorers in the game.

  • Extreme Clamps: More Stone wall and lost dribble body-up resolutions for locks
  • Perimeter Badge Drop: Knocks shooting badges down a tier when you get close
  • Enhanced Jump Shot Contests: Boosts your ability to contest jumpers.

Rim Protector: Rim Protectors get strong shot contest boosts and an arsenal of exclusive blocks that allow them to anchor the defense.

  • Stuff Blocks: Unlocks more swat, backboard pins, and grab blocks
  • Paint Intimidation: Boosts your ability to affect shots around the rim.
  • Interior Badge Drop: Drops opposition’s scoring badges down a tier

Glass Cleaner: Glass Cleaners receive the ability to read missed shots, win more box out battlers, secure more boards, and finish putbacks more consistently.

  • Boxout Wall: Improves ability to seal off opponents for easy boards.
  • See the Future: Shows where missed shots are going to end up.
  • Glass Clearing Dimes: After rebounds, kick out passes boost your teammate’s shooting.

Post Scorer: Post Scorers become more dominant in the paint with stronger backdowns and enhanced moves and shots.

  • Power Backdowns: Easier to push defenders around when posting up.
  • Post Playmaking: Boost your teammates’ offensive abilities when passing out of post.
  • Advanced Post Moves: Easier to beat defenders with post moves.
  • Post Shot Daggers: Increased scoring ability with hooks, fades, shimmy shots, etc.

Rim Protector Takeover

Rim Protector Takeover gives players strong shot contest boosts and an arsenal of exclusive blocks that allows them to anchor the defense.

On Current Gen, it gives your player a +10 boost to the Block, Interior Defense, and Close Shot Attributes, in addition to a +5 boost to all other attributes.

On Next Gen, Rim Protector Takeover is split into a few distinct categories:

  • Stuff Blocks: Unlocks more swat, backboard pins, and grab blocks
  • Paint Intimidation: Boosts your ability to affect shots around the rim.
  • Interior Badge Drop: Drops opposition’s scoring badges down a tier

Lockdown Defender Takeover

Lockdown Defender takeover boosts a player’s steals and shot contests, allowing them to clamp down even the best scorers in the game.

On Current Gen, you get a +10 boost to your Perimeter Defender, Lateral Quickness, Steal, Speed, Acceleration, and Strength attributes, in addition to +5 bonuses to every other attribute.

On Next-Gen, Lockdown Takeover is divided into three categories:

  • Extreme Clamps: More Stone wall and lost dribble body-up resolutions for locks
  • Perimeter Badge Drop: Knocks shooting badges down a tier when you get close
  • Enhanced Jump Shot Contests: Boosts your ability to contest jumpers.

Glass Cleaner Takeover

Glass Cleaner Takeover gives rebounders the ability to read missed shots, win more box out battles, secure more boards, and finishing putbacks more consistently.

On Current Gen, Glass Cleaners get a +10 boost to Close Shot, Strength, Vertical, all Rebounding attributes, plus a +5 boost to all other attributes. You also get a visual on missed shots and a set of box out and putback animations.

On Next-Gen, Glass Cleaner takeover is broken into the following categories:

  • Boxout Wall: Improves ability to seal off opponents for easy boards.
  • See the Future: Shows where missed shots are going to end up.
  • Glass Clearing Dimes: After rebounds, kick out passes boost your teammate’s shooting.

Recommendation: True Glass Cleaners would most benefit from this, though we recommend Rim Protector Takeover for most center builds. However, the rebound indicator is nice when Takeover is activated.

Slasher Takeover

Slasher Takeover boosts finishing at the rim in traffic and gives more effective gathers to get past the defense.

When activated, this Takeover gives you a +10 to Driving Layup, Driving Dunk, Standing Dunk, Close Shot, Ball Handle, Speed with Ball, Speed, Strength, and Vertical. You also get a +5 boost to all other attributes.

On Next-Gen, Slasher takeover comprises of the following categories:/

  • Advanced Gathers: Unlocks more effective spin, euro, hop step, and cradle gathers
  • Finishing Moves: Able to absorb contact and finish at the rim more effectively.
  • Easy Blowbys: Enhances abilities for slashers to beat defenders off the dribble.

Recommendation: Slasher takeover is one of the best guard takeovers this year, so we recommend it for anyone that finishes at the rim the majority of the time or is a finishing build.

In addition, Slasher takeover is one of the best for grinding Park Rep, as Alley Oops and Dunks are easy ways to get a ton of Rep per game. We also recommend Slasher Takeover if you’re a serious Rep grinder.

Playmaker Takeover

Playmaker Takeover allows Playmakers to freeze defenders more often with augmented ball handling attributes and can enhance their teammates’ shot making off assists.

On Next-Gen, Playmaker Takeover comprises off three different categories:

  • Team Ratings Boost: Playmakers boost their teammates’ offensive ratings
  • Team Takeover Boost: Boost your teammates’ takeover meter progress.
  • Team Badge Boost: Boosts your teammates’ badges up a tier.

Playmaker takeover on current gen is a bit underwhelming, but Team Badge Boost is overpowered on Next-Gen. For ball handlers and other guards, this takeover is a good option to help your teammates.

Shot Creator Takeover

Shot Creator Takeover allows shooters to become more effective at shooting off the dribble and can shake off defenders using stepback and spin gathers.

Anyone shooting or shot creating build should equip Shot Creator Takeover, as it boosts moving shots to a point where it’s almost impossible to miss an open or lightly contested one.

However, we wouldn’t recommend Shot Creator Takeover for Sharpshooters, as it won’t help you make more three pointers or fading three points. Stick to Spot Up Shooter Takeover.

Spot Up Shooter Takover

Spot Up Shooter Takeover is a replacement for Sharpshooting Takeover, and boosts your player’s ability to hit from deep, especially in catch and shoot situations.

Spot Up Shooter takeover gives you a +10 boost to your player’s Mid-Range Shot and Three-Point Shot, in addition to a +5 boost to all other attributes.

Recommendation: Spot Up Shooter takeover is solid for three point shooters, although its affects on other stats is average. It’s still super effective nonetheless.

NBA 2K20 Badges – The Complete List

Finishing

Acrobat: Spin, half-spin, hop step, euro-step, cradle, reverse, and change shot layup attempts receive a significant boost.

Backdown Punisher: Allows players to have more success than normal when backing down a defender in the paint.

Consistent Finisher: Penalties for mis-timed layups are reduced, allowing players to make layups more consistently.

Contact Finisher: Slashers who play below the rim finish contact layups more successfully while dunkers are able to pull off more contact dunks.

Cross-Key Scorer: Boosts the ability to make running hooks, layups, or close range pull-ups while driving across the paint.

Deep Hooks: Post hooks taken far from the basket receive less of a distance penalty than normal.

Dropstepper: Allows for more success when attempting post dropsteps and hop steps, in addition to protecting the ball better, while performing these moves in the post.

Fancy Footwork: players get past defenders more efficiently when performing euro, cradle, hop step, spin, and half-spin gathers.

Fastbreak Finisher: Gives an additional boost to a player’s takeover meter when successfully dunking on a fastbreak.

Giant slayer: Boosts the shot percentage for a layup attempt when mismatched against a taller defender and reduces the possibility of getting blocked.

Lob City Finisher: Improves a player’s ability to successfully finish an alley-oop layup or dunk. The shot must be taken before the receiver lands.

Pick & Roller: When rolling off the pick and roll, a shot boost is applied if the layup or dunk attempt comes within a few seconds after catching the pass.

Pro Touch: Gives an extra shot boost for having slightly early, slightly late, or excellent shot timing on layups.

Putback Boss: Boosts the shot attributes of a player that attempts a putback layup or dunk right after getting an offensive rebound.

Relentless Finisher: Improves a player’s ability to take a lot of contact by reducing the energy lost when attacking the rim for contact shots.

Showtime: Gives an additional boost to a player’s takeover meter and his teammates, when successfully completing an and-1 or flashy dunk.

Slithery Finisher: Increases a player’s ability to slide through traffic and avoid contact during gathers and finishes at the rim.

Tear dropper: Improves a player’s ability to known down floaters and runners.

Shooting

Catch & Shoot: For a short time after receiving a pass, the receiver’s outside shooting attributes get a significant boost.

Clutch Shooter: Shot attempts that occur during the final moments of the 4th quarter, or in any overtime period, receive a large boost.

Corner Specialist: Deep mid-range or 3pt shots taken along the baseline of the court receive a boost, whether it is off the dribble or off the catch.

Deadeye: Jump shots taken with a defender closing out receive less of a penalty from a shot contest. This includes both mid-range and 3pt shots.

Deep fades: Post fadeaways taken far from the basket receive less of a distance penalty than normal.

Difficult Shots: Boosts your player’s ability to make shots off the dribble, in addition to boosting your player’s ability to make moving shots.

Flexible Release: Shot timing penalties for jump shots are reduced, making it easier to knock down attempts even when releasing early or late.

Green Machine: Gives an additional shot boost when consecutively achieving excellent releases on jump shots. 

Hot Start: For every made shot from the beginning of the game, players receives a shot attribute bonus that lasts until the first missed shot attempt

Hot Zone Hunter: Shots that are taken in a player’s hot zone(s) are given a boost

Ice in Veins: Free throws taken in the second half of close games or overtime periods are given a boost. Also, the timing window for free throws becomes larger.

Pick & Popper: Shot attempts that come after setting a screen are given a boost if the shot happens far enough from the rim and within a few seconds after the screen has been set.

Pump Fake Maestro: Shortens the timer that determines how long after a pump fake a player can shoot without incurring a shot percentage penalty.

Quick Draw: The higher the badge level, the faster a player will be able to release all jump shots.

Range Extender: Adds extra distance to a player’s given shot range for both mid-range and 3pt shots.

Slippery Off-Ball: When attempting to get open off screens, the player more effectively navigates through traffic.

Steady Shooter: Shot attempts that are contested receive less of a penalty, however shot attempts that are open do not receive as much of a bonus.

Tireless Scorer: Shot attributes on jump shots suffer a smaller penalty than normal when tired.

Volume Shooter: After a player has taken a small handful of shots, an additional boost to shot attributes is given for ever subsequent shot, whether it’s a make or a miss.

Playmaking

Ankle Breaker: Improves the likelihood of freezing or dropping a defender during dribble moves, especially stepback moves or certain chains of dribble moves.

Bail Out: Increases the chances of a successful and accurate pass out of a jumpshot or layup while mid-air.

Break Starter: Allows rebounders to throw more effective deep outlet passes shortly following a defensive rebound.

Dimer: Gives a shooting boost to receivers in catch-and-shoot oppurtunities.

Downhill: Increases your player’s speed with ball rating on fastbreak opportunities

Dream Shake: Increases the chances that a defender falls for a pump fake in the post. In addition, your player’s shooting attributes increase after post moves or pump fakes.

Flashy Passer: Gives a Takeover boost to the passer and receiver after following a made shot off a flashy pass.

Floor General: Boosts your teammates’ offensive attributes when on the floor.

Handles for Days: Allows playmakers and dribbling builds to lose less stamina when chaining dribble moves.

Lob City Passer: Increases the chances of a successful alley-oop pass and finish. It boosts both your player’s passing attribute and the finishing attributes of your receiver.

Needle Threader: Increases the success of tough passes between defenders. When activated, this badge will boost your passing attributes and help deliver a crisp pass.

Pass Fake Maestro: Increases the effectiveness of fake passes by making them quicker and tighter.

Post Spin Technician: Boosts a player’s post spin or post drive

Quick First Step: Allows players to get more explosive first steps out of the triple threat or size up.

Space Creator: Boosts your player’s ability to create space from a defender on a step back move or shot.

Stop & Go: Allows ball handlers to quickly stop-and-go while dribbling. You also get unique launch animations on stop-and-gos with this badge.

Tight Handles: Boosts your player’s ball handling in one-on-one situations.

Unpluckable: Makes it more difficult for defenders to steal the ball from your player.

Defending and Rebounding

Box: Strengthens a player’s ability to effectively box out opponents in anticipation of a rebound.

Brick Wall: This badge makes it tougher for a defense to get through or around screens. Players hit by contact from a brick wall lose more energy than normal.

Chase Down Artist: Boosts the speed and leaping ability of a player when he is chasing down an offensive player in anticipation of a block attempt.

Clamps: Defenders have access to quicker cut off moves and are more successful when bumping or hip riding riding the ball handler.

Defensive Leader: Lifts the defensive ability of teammates when on the court. Also, at the Hall of Fame level, can see potential shot percentages of opposing players. 

Heart crusher: After successfully blocking or stealing the ball from an opponent, an additional penalty is given to the opposing player’s takeover meter.

Interceptor: The frequency of successfully tipped or intercepted passes greatly increases.

Intimidator: Offensive players have less success shooting when contested by players with this badge. Also boosts the shot defense rating when tightly guarding an opponent.

Lightning Reflexes: Gives the defender an advantage to read where the ball handler is going in the Read and React System.

Moving Truck: Players are more effective pushing opponents out of the post while playing defense.

Off-Ball Pest: Makes players more difficult to get past when playing off-ball, as they can grab and hold their matchup and don’t get their ankles broken as often.

Pick Dodger: Improves a player’s ability to navigate through and round screens while on defense.

Pick Pocket: Increases the chances of a steal and reduces the chances of a foul when attempting to strip the ball from a ball handler. Also improves the chances of successful layup strips. 

Pogo Stick: Allows players to quickly go back for another block attempt upon landing.

Post Move Lockdown: Increases the chances of a defender preventing an offensive post move from succeeding.

Rebound chaser: Improves a player’s ability to track down rebounds from farther distances than normal.

Rim protector: Improves player’s ability to block shots, unlocks special animations and gives a boost to the Takeover meter for the blocker and blocker’s teammates following a block.

Tireless defender: Allows defenders to play defense more aggressively without losing energy at the same rate as a normal player.

Trapper: When trapping offensive players, defenders are more effective at forcing pickups and turnovers than normal. 

Worm: When boxed out, rebounders have more success swimming around and getting into successful rebound position.