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Best NBA 2K23 MyPlayer Builds for Each Position

NBA 2K23 is a team game in that everyone must contribute their part in order to win. The best way for each position to make their contribution is to each have the best build at their position, meaning the ones with the best attributes and badges to dominate their spot on the floor.

Here are the best builds for each position in NBA 2K23, broken down into Guards (up to 6’5″), Swings (6’6″ to 6’9″), and Big Men (6’10” and up):

Guards

Guards are highly underappreciated in this game, thanks to the dominance of larger builds, but they can play a huge role in teams winning games with their speed and quick jumpshots. Here’s the best guard build:

This PG build is very well rounded, with the ability to dunk and play defense at an acceptable level, but excels at shooting the lights out and breaking down defenders with ease.

The above video is a quick tutorial on how to build it, with a breakdown of the best badges to pair with the build to maximize its strengths.

Swings

This 6’10” build is super well-round. It’s really only great at finishing, but it’s a capable spot-up shooter, good switch defender, and can put the ball on the floor if need be.

The video above is a short tutorial of how to make this build, which garnered comparisons to Lebron James and Scottie Pippen. We even included a part with the badges we think you should equip on the build.

Big Men

This Center Build is built for playing defense in the paint and knocking down shots on the perimeter. While it’s won’t post up super well and certainly cannot dribble, it is the perfect build for any mode.

Above is a quick video on how to make the build, including a part on which badges maximize the strengths needed at the center position.

NBA 2K22 Official News Thread

NBA 2K22 will be released on September 10, 2021. This post will contain all the news drops available for NBA 2K22 and should serve as your go-to headquarters for finding new information about the newest iteration of the game.

Versions of the Game and the Cover Athletes

Standard Edition: Available for both Current ($60) and Next-Gen ($70). Contains one copy of the game for the respective console in which you purchase the game for. Preorder here.
Cross-Gen Digital: For $80, you get a digital version of both the Current and Next-Gen versions of the game on either the Playstation or Xbox console family. Preorder here.
75th Anniversary Edition: With Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowtizki, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the cover, this version contains both the Current and Next-Gen versions of the game, plus some extra goodies like 100,000 VC. Preorder here.
25th Anniversary WNBA Version: With Candace Parker on the cover, this is a Next-Gen only version of the game. It’s still the full NBA 2K22 game, but with a WNBA-specific cover. Preorder here.

Gameplay Updates

2K claims to have a new slate of signature moves and combos, and jump shooting, contact dunks, and alley oops are apparently more skill-based. We’ll see, but hopefully this decreases the amount of ridiculous dunk animations and whites going in.
2K also claims there is a new shot contest and blocking system. Next-Gen has a notoriously bad contest system, especially in the paint, so hopefully this claim applies especially to the PS5/Xbox X version of the game.
We expect these changes to largely affect Next-Gen. Current Gen has largely been the same game for the past few years. Current Gen may see the addition of sigs, but I doubt it will get any other major gameplay revamps.
2K’s gameplay director stated that the on-court experience is similar between current and next-gen 2K22. Graphics probably differ, but controls and on-court feel seem to be pretty similar according to this source.
Some shooting stuff: You don’t need a super high rating to shoot decently, Steady Shooter is gone, the vibration cue remains out of the game, shot aiming is gone, and there is a new shot meter.

MyCareer

MyCareer is going to be completely different between Current Gen and Next-Gen. There is no cross-progression.
Next-Gen will have no storyline like in past years, apparently the focus is on your player’s life in the City. This includes storylines around endorsements, quests with NPCs in the City, and amassing wealth and assets like housing and other stuff.
We expect Current Gen to have a similar experience to past years. There will be a new storyline, but the same endorsement pipeline and a shorter timeline that cuts out at about midway through the first season. Most will skip the story on Current Gen, anyways.
There will be seasonal animation content drops for the MyPlayer mode. This includes dribble animations and even jumpshot animations.
Preorder NBA 2K22 here.

The City/Neighborhood

On Next-Gen, the City will feature NPCs that supposedly enhance the experience. We’re a bit skeptical about their role. In addition, the City is redesigned to also improve the experience of walking around. Hopefully stuff is easier to find and walk times are decreased.
MATCHMAKING IS FINALLY ON NEXT-GEN. Although there are not many details, apparently we will be able to hop into certain buildings and get games. Hopefully this means we can go solo when our buddies can’t play, but we shall see.
Current Gen’s Park is now on a cruise ship. Kind of a cool concept, but it will probably otherwise have the same layout as the past few years. Apparently the cruise ship will stop at islands for special events, but we’ll see closer to release date.
Seasons are apparently a feature in the City and Neighborhood. They made their debut in MyTeam in 2K21, and offered prizes for a limited amount of time based on gameplay. We loved them in MyTeam, and they will probably be pretty cool for online MyCareer game modes.
As always, visuals of the new City and Cruise Ship will be released basically a few days before release of the game. This means we will have to wait until around September 5-9 to see some real news on the supposed upgrades.

MyTeam

MyTeam will largely be the same between console generations, with the only differences being related to gameplay. There is cross-progression between the consoles, meaning your progress is saved on both Current Gen and Next Gen consoles.
Seasons, which was actually a great way to keep MyTeam alive during typical dead periods, is back for 2K22.They apparently extend to all game modes, but we assume it will be about the same as the seasons we saw and loved in 2K21.
Draft mode is back for MyTeam, which allows two players to join a game without having a team prepared. Instead, they are randomly assigned players. This should be fun for some players (especially NMS), but may not be used by the card collector players.
Apparently there is a new game mode debuting around Thanksgiving/Christmas. We don’t have any details on it, but it might be interesting to keep an eye out for.

Other Relevant Information

There is no cross-console play this year, meaning Xbox players cannot play with or against Playstation players and Current Gen players can not play against or with Next-Gen players.
MyTeam progress again carries over from Current Gen to Next-Gen, and vice-versa. MyCareer will not have cross-progression, however, and MyCareer will vary differently between generations again.
The Nintendo Switch and the PC will receive only the Current Gen version of the game. This is a sad development, especially for the PC, but they will only receive the older version of the game for the second straight year.
Preorder NBA 2K22 here.

How to Become a Better Playmaker

Playmaking is an important skill for any guard in NBA 2K, as it can separate you from the mediocre guards and set your team up for easy wins. In this article we break down the best tips to not only set your teammates up for success, but yourself, too.

Max out your Ball Handle, Speed with Ball and Pass Accuracy: These are the most important stats for becoming a top-tier playmaker, and maxing these out will give you the necessary badge points as well.

Equip the right badges: Here’s out list of best playmaking badges. Quick First Step, Handles for Days, and Killer Combos are a good start, but there are a few others that will help you dribble and pass better.

Equip the right dribble animations: Here’s out list of the best dribble moves.

Learn how to dribble: Learning how to use the dribble moves, chaining moves, and when to use certain moves is necessary for breaking down defenders. Practicing in the MyCourt or Gatorade Gym is only going to help you get better.

Notice Passing Lanes: Passing lanes are important on defense and offense. On offense, you want to avoid throwing in crowded passing lanes, so you’ll need to learn them from experience. The Needle Threader badge will also help you make tough passes.

Focus on getting your teammates involved: It’s easy to get tunnel vision as the primary ball handler, so you want to place special emphasis on looking for open teammates and making timely passes.

Ultimately, playmaking involves a lot of quick decisions, something that only comes from a lot of practice and playing experience. However, the above tips helped me and others become better primary ball handlers, and we know they will help you as well.

How to Become a Better Slasher

Becoming a top-tier slasher is a unique skill in NBA 2K23 when the majority of player simply run at the rim and hold the square button. In this article we will teach you to become a top-tier slasher who can finish almost everything at the rim.

Max out your slashing stats: Driving layup and driving dunk are a must, with standing dunk being important for big men. Try to match your attributes with the Contact Dunk requirements, but you don’t necessarily need high ratings to be a good finisher.

Equip the right finishing badges: Here are the best finishing badges in NBA 2K23. Limitless Takeoff, Posterizer, and Slithery are some of the best, but the Tier system shakes this up a bit.

Learn the timing for your dunks: The new dunk meter makes it a bit tough to dunk, but learning the timing on them from practice in the Gatorade gym allows you to get crazy contact dunks and other great animations. The Pro Touch badge also helps on this.

Utilize Slithery : This finishing badge can be activated on contested layups by simply aiming your stick diagonal-up towards the baseline and swinging it to the center area. This mechanism works a good amount of the time and helps you get some crazy animations and finishes.

Be patient: Simple rim-running gets you contact dunks every once-in-a-while, but patient slashing is better. This method involves pump fakes, taking layups instead of forcing dunks, and passing when you don’t have a good shot.

If you follow these tips when playing any game mode, your percentage at the rim will greatly increase. I was able to use this tips to finish ridiculous layups and dunks at the hoop with only 1 finishing badge, so you can imagine how it will be when your player has many more.

How to Play Better Defense

Playing good defense is a very important part of being a good NBA 2K player, but the learning curve can be pretty steep for a new player. Here are the best tips we’ve found for playing better defense in this year’s game:

Beef up your defensive stats: If you’re a guard or wing, max out the perimeter defense, lateral quickness, and steal. If you’re a big, max out rebounding, interior defense, and block.

Pick the right badges: Here’s out list of best defensive badges for every position and tier. Picking the right badges is instrumental for playing better defense, as they are meant to help your manual defensive inputs.

Learn the passing lanes: The passing lanes are simply where your opponent passes the ball. When playing off-ball defense, you want to close off the areas where your opponent may pass the ball so you can get easy steals. This is only learned by playing the game.

On-ball defense: The key to on-ball defense is predicting your opponents’ moves. You won’t always guess correctly, but over time you’ll get better, start getting bumpy on the ball handler, and get the stops you need on the defensive end.

Rebounding for Big Men: You’ll need the Rebound Chaser and Boxout Beast badge, and the most important tips to rebounding are to box out your opponent, guess where the ball will land, and correctly time your jump for the board.

Although defense is a highly instinctual part of the game, these basic tips can help you become the best defender you can be.

/ Sticky

Start Here

Welcome to NBA 2K HQ, your headquarters for NBA 2K22 News and Information. Here are the best resources on this site to get started and improve your play on NBA 2K22:

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NBA 2K23 News

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How can I get better at NBA 2K22?

About NBA2KHQ:

We are not affiliated with 2K Sports, Take 2, or any company related to the design, production, or marketing of NBA 2K games.
NBA2KHQ is an informational website based on thousands of hours of gameplay and talking to hundreds of other avid 2K players.
Our email is nba2khq@gmail.com.

The City Rep Rewards

Pro:

Pro 1: Ability to join an affiliation.
Pro 2: Custom Jerseys at the NBA Store, Hair Colors in the Appearance menu, and Show-off animations.
Pro 3: Access to new Dry Brush Arm Sleeves at SWAGS and free MyTeam packs.
Pro 4: Access to new Skateboard decks at Decks and Wacky Clothing at Alter Ego.
Pro 5: Access to Personalized Historic Jerseys at the NBA store.

All Star:

All Star 1: Choose your spawn point, access the Low Rider at Wheels, and new Green Release Animations.
All Star 2: Access to new Tie-Dye collection at Swags
All Star 3: Access to the Trike at Wheels, New Show-Off Animations, and free MyTeam Packs
All Star 4: Access to new Wacky Glasses at Alter Ego.
All Star 5: Access to new Flame Pattern Arm sleeves at Swags.

Superstar

Superstar 1: Access to new Lightning Pattern Arm Sleeves at Swags and New Show-off Animations.
Superstar 2: Ability to remove your shirt and get your Neck, Back, and Chest Tattooed.
Superstar 3: Ability to wear suits in the City, Gym Rat Badge, and free MyTeam Packs.
Superstar 4: Access to the Glider at Decks.
Superstar 5: New Show-off Animations.

Elite

Elite 1: Elite level Daily Rewards.
Elite 2: Access to the Hoverboard at Decks
Elite 3: Access to Elite 3 Suit and Sequin Patterns at Drip Brothers, and new Show-Off Animations.
Elite 4: Double VC for all Online Games Played.
Elite 5: Access to Mascots at Alter Ego.

Legend

Legend: Free copy of NBA 2K22 (limited supply), Extra Badge Points, and Travel in Style.

How to Make XP Quickly in NBA 2K22 MyTeam

Rising up the XP Ladder in NBA 2K22 MyTeam is a long and difficult grind, but can easily be optimized with the right strategized. Here are the best strategies we’ve learned to earn XP in the most time-efficient manner.

Knock out multiple challenges in one game. You can do the challenges for multiple players in one game, which cuts down the amount of games and time you have to play.
Write down challenges on a piece of paper. Write down the challenges and cross them out throughout the game. This is the best way to keep track of what you need to do and streamlines the process.
Play Rookie Domination (or other easy game modes). Rookie Dom is super easy for knocking out challenges, and there’s typically a Spotlight challenge that makes certain XP challenges easier to complete.
Focus on manageable challenges: Skipping frustrating challenges (like steals) and focusing on doable challenges will both save you headaches and time while still allowing you to reach your goal level.
Do more challenges towards the end of the season. The challenges towards the end of the season give you higher XP per minute. Complete the easier challenges at the beginning of the season and knock a bunch of better ones out towards the end.
Make doing XP Challenges fun. Find a method that makes the grind fun and enjoyable. There’s no point in playing the game if you’re not having fun, so try to make the process as enjoyable as possible and

MyTeam Season 7 Levels & Rewards

Level 1 (0 XP): Free Agent Kobe Bryant
Level 2 (350 XP): Glass Cleaner Badge Pack
Level 3 (430 XP): 1 Token
Level 4 (520 XP): Free Agent Player Award Pack
Level 5 (620 XP): Ascension Board 1
Level 6 (740 XP): Base League Award Pack
Level 7 (890 XP): Gold Darvin Ham
Level 8 (1075 XP): 3 Tokens
Level 9 (1300 XP): Lockdown Defender Badge Pack
Level 10 (1550 XP): Season One Ball
Level 11 (1850 XP): Ascension Board 2
Level 12 (2230 XP): Post Scorer Badge Pack
Level 13 (2680 XP): Emerald Larry Nance Jr
Level 14 (3200 XP): Gold Shoe Pack
Level 15 (3850 XP): Rim Protector Badge Pack
Level 16 (4620 XP): 5 Tokens
Level 17 (5540 XP): Standard League Award Pack
Level 18 (6500 XP): Shot Creator Badge Pack
Level 19 (7860 XP): Ascension Board 3
Level 20 (9190 XP): Sapphire Damon Jones
Level 21 (10560 XP): Slasher Badge Pack
Level 22 (12150 XP): Ascension Board 4
Level 23 (13970 XP): Standard League Award Pack
Level 24 (16060 XP): Ruby Brian Winters
Level 25 (18470 XP): 10 Tokens
Level 26 (21250 XP): Ascension Board 5
Level 27 (24430 XP): Sharpshooter Badge Pack
Level 28 (28100 XP): Amethyst Vin Baker
Level 29 (32300 XP): Standard League Award Pack
Level 30 (36740 XP): Ascension Board 6
Level 31 (41600 XP): Deluxe League Award Pack
Level 32 (47140 XP): Diamond Shoe Pack
Level 33 (55640 XP): Diamond Kelly Tripucka
Level 34 (65000 XP): 30 Tokens
Level 35 (75000 XP): Diamond Consumables Pack
Level 36 (86000 XP): Ascension Board 7
Level 37 (99000 XP): Diamond Contract Pack
Level 38 (114000 XP): Diamond Shoe Boost Pack
Level 39 (131000 XP): Hall of Fame Badge Option Pack
Level 40 (150000 XP): Pink Diamond Carmelo Anthony

How long is the grind? For Level 40, you’re talking about four hours-plus per day of focus on completing agendas, mostly in boring game modes. That’s up to 200+ hours of playing the game for one card.

Is the grind worth it? It’s not worth spending half your life on. We have reached level 40 and enjoyed both the rewards and the grind, but stressing yourself over it is simply not worth it.

Where should I aim for? If you have a lot of time to grind the game, level 40 should be your aim. More casual players should aim for the last Ascension board (lvl 36) at most. Super casual players should just play the game to have fun and forget the XP grind.

The Best Small Forwards in NBA 2K23 MyTeam

Small Forwards play a pivotal role in every game on both ends of the floor, making it necessary to have a good one on your squad. Here are the top 5 SFs in NBA 2K23 MyTeam right now:

Dark Matter Kawhi Leonard: This Kawhi card is literally good at everything, but his real calling card is on the defensive end. He’ll lock up any 1-4, shoot from deep, and dunk on a defenders’ head with ease.
Dark Matter Julius Erving: A relentless slasher who can do everything else at a high level. Of course, he’s not easy to get, but nothing amazing comes easily.
Pink Diamond Lebron James: You can pretty much guess what you’re to get with this card. Big player build, well-balanced badges, and top-tier slashing. He’ll cost you a pretty penny, however.
Pink Diamond Terry Dischinger: A staple on this list for years, this Terry card is again a great option at the 3 spot. Great jumper, top badges in every category, and good size.
Galaxy Opal Jayson Tatum: His jumpshot timing may still be on normal, but Tatum is a well-rounded card that will excel at attacking the hoop and shooting from deep.
Dark Matter Cazzie Russell: Another well-rounded card. Russell doesn’t seem to have one main calling card, but he’s good at just about everything and has a top jumpshot in the game.

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