Walk around town NBA 2K23, I try not to stay in one place for too long. Players in this MMO-like space will display a banner under their feet as you approach them. I’m aware of the fact that my banner shows an 85 player rating, but I’m only level 3 on this season’s Battle Pass – which means I’m a total tourist, here for the single player career, and I’m comfortable paid money to level up my character. (In fact I have.)
But if someone inspects my build – the current rating of my created player and his potential in 22 attributes that reflect my priorities as a player – I could at least stand behind it. I spent a month creating a build guide for NBA 2K23 Players, so I’ve gathered a lot of information from a lot of community sources about what the best options for people really are.
And I’ve noticed that every few weeks, like a solar flare, someone shows up the NBA 2K subreddit posts a picture of a horrible build they encountered in the wild. This is often followed by a series of similarly horrible builds that will flood the subreddit for a day or two. The comment is brutally, and I can’t stop reading each one.
For example this guy:
I’ve seen min-maxing before, even in MMOs where you have to pay to respect a terrible gamble, but that’s real commitment to the bit. There’s nothing in defense and rebound (and I suspect the potential of perimeter defense is only that high because it’s tied to a player’s speed and other attributes). The best part is that 47 stamina. If you look at enough terrible builds, you realize that many of them have nothing to do with stamina. good sir folks NBA 2K23 makes stamina the cheapest attribute to upgrade for a reason!
“That’s the guy who’s going to say the game sucks because it’s slow and after two hits you need an inhale hit.” said one Redditor.
“Bro puffs out after a dribble” said another.
“The whole driving dunk and the homie don’t make it in the basket lmao.” said a third. (This guy only has 28 power, too!)
Something to note: If your created player is less than 6ft tall, rest assured Everyone you meet is scanning your 2K card. This is partly because NBA 2K series players, almost like natural selection, discovered this after several years 6-foot-9 is the optimal height for one player in the cooperative/competitive online modes. And that’s because players don’t have the time (or money) to tie multiple builds together into an effective overall rating. So if anyone is walking around with you Earl Boykins in The Park or The Rec everyone wants to know how to make this work in a forest of postplayers.
Like this guy:
“He’s a Georgetown fan” said one, noting the player’s gamertag. “He hasn’t known good basketball for a long time.”
“This guy did a La Fitness build”, said another.
“I’m not kidding… I bumped into this guy yesterday,” said one player earlier this week. “The guy had 64 OVR and 2K used him as our small forward. 5’7” 135.lbs at 3 playing paint all game. The other 4 of us were dying at our microphones. It was so hilarious that we didn’t care that we lost.”
Then there’s the 5-foot-7 no-shot point guard and a 75 driving dunk. Hello, Spud Webb!
He must be a foot taller, says an expert. “I love that at 6’7,” saw someone calling 97+ Perimeter the other day [defense] and 99 steal Mr. Fuck up your day.”
yes that would be this build:
“It exists only to create chaos” said one player.
“Some men want to see the world burn” replied the original poster.
“Man, with that ball grip as [point guard] I think he will steal from himself.” said another.
Not all of these butt builds are found art spied on your home faction’s pitch after a monstrously stinky 3v3 match. Sometimes NBA 2K players visit the subreddit like a confessional to spill their what-I-thought-of sins from the player creation phase.
Here’s one posted last month under the headline “Mistakes were made.” Her 6ft 7 power forward is an “interior finisher”. Yes, well, that’s what a bottle of Mop & Glo is like.
Let’s hear what the jury has to say:
“2-way 3-second violation getter”, said one.
“So you got drunk and did a build?” asked a player. “High,” replied the OP.
“Every additional second you spend in this atrocity is a crime against yourself and a slap in the face to your inner child.” said another.
“I want to start over so badly” added the OPthen he gets to the heart of why awful NBA 2K builds inspire such gallows humor in the larger community.
“I paid for VC, which I never do because it’s so tedious,” OP said, “The respec feature is required, but 2K would miss out on all the extra VC.”
He’s right. Players can change their badges and their perks at any time, but the build is locked once you start a career. If you upgrade it only to discover, as I did, that steal or three-point shot or driving layup really doesn’t add much to a 7-foot “Paint Beast” and that potential has been better harnessed elsewhere, you must start and lose the time or money you put into your first trick.
Even after earning the Rebirth perk, which allows players to start a new build with a max of 90 OVR (instead of 85), they still start their career at 60 OVR, meaning they only have the ability to pay extra to get their player to 90 earlier in their career.
However, I think if 2K Sports is finally acknowledging that after a decade, then so be it Has bled his die-hard wallets dry enoughand given them at least one respec token or opportunity, we’d likely see a lot more variety in player types in The Park and The Rec instead the same 6ft 8 and 6ft 9 “demigods” before court after court. You’d think that sort of diversity in player types would be good for the game as a whole.
And people would be freer to make such mistakes, which means more ridiculous builds for everyone to laugh at. It’s a win-win situation!
“Dude shouldn’t touch the ball unless it’s on the edge and wide open.” said a juror.
“I laugh every time I see it” said the OP.
