Wonder no more. I sat down with Nino “Da Czar” Samuel, a key member of the NBA 2K16 development team focusing on its basketball “smarts”, and he went over several easy-to-execute steps that everyone can take to be better and have more fun on the virtual hardwood.
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First, Samuel describes how NBA 2K16 lets you run the pick and roll like a professional. With a few simple button presses, you can have your teammates set devastating screens, move to the hoop, or fade to the top of the key. Even better, Samuel tells you when the various moves make sense, and when they don’t.
Next, Samuel walks me through the fundamentals of low post play. Even though the NBA has gone small-ball-crazy, a big man in the post is still a devastatingly effective tool to score easy baskets or draw double teams to kick out for an open three. Samuel describes how to back down a defender, protect your dribble, post up, when to take different kinds of shots like jump hooks, and much more. More importantly, Samuel describes how and when to take the most efficient shots based on the matchup.
Lastly, Samuel explains the variety of passes you can perform in NBA 2K16, from bounce passes to lobs, alley-oops to fancy ones. Passing may not sound sexy, but when you know the right time — and the wrong time — to make a kind of pass, it can turn into key scoring opportunities that translate into victories.
With a complex game like NBA 2K16, it’s much more fun to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. With these tools at your fingertips, you’ll go from confusion to domination in NBA 2K16.
