Defense is completely broken

[jk31]

I really hate how this game gets worse and worse each year.


My biggest strength always have been my defensive gameplan that took many opponents (online league) by surprise and took away their strengths while giving the ball to bad shooters/players.


In 2k21 it seems like most defensive settings don't have any effect at all. I played against the guy in our league that has Steph Curry. I know he runs him at SG to get him open with off ball screens. So what would be a smart move? Right, switch every screen. I don't care if I get mismatches but I don't want to be destroyed by Curry shooting wide open threes. What happens in this game? In 40 minutes of gameplay, I only saw my AI defenders switching on off-ball screens for a total of 2 times! Great job.


Next game I want to take away Kevin Durants penetrations. I set both my bigs (Gobert and Turner) to sag off their man, even as both were potent 3pt threats (Ibaka and Justin Holiday) to help/double on every Durant drive. Well I can count on one (okay lets be realistic, two) hands, how often even one of my big men was placed anywhere near my own basket. Most of the times they either were stuck in no mans land or guarding their man deny on the weakside.


And it is like that most games. Also for all other members in the league. The guy having Westbrook says it is completely boring as nobody is able to put up any inside defense as a) defensive settings don't have any effect at how your team plays and b) inside D in general is pretty nonexistent. Players, especially players like Westbrook, can get very low contested layups all the time, even when there are two good defenders sandwiching him or good shot blockers going up before him. He says he could basically put up 60 a game with Westbrook, but it is no fun at all for him to play this way.


I really hate it. This game has turned into casual paradise where it is important how to master arcade mechanics like aiming a meter (Mario Party and Wii Golf say hello) or how to trigger the right cheesy animations.

[Guard-ian]

Yes, the inconsistency of defensive plans and the too overpowered slashing players (Anteto, Westbrook, etc.), the new shooting mechanics where you have to green almost everything, etc, etc... all of that makes this game the worst NBA2k (from a sim perspective) of the decade... Involution.

[papaey]

Ace in general is broken. This is an easy fix. Giving too many PIP should result playing zones. Getting blown? Switch to full court press. This are basics and heck even nba live 2005 have this automatically. What the purpose of ace if you don't see this adjustments in game.

[The 24th Letter]

There are some base band aid settings that can help...but I've essentially made this same thread. Start with Ace off, flipping Switch All and turning the help defense coach slider up.

Defense is really bad this year though. Especially in user vs user play.

This thing that started in 2K20 where the center chases their assignment out of the paint regardless of setting needs to go in the scrap heap. I mean he will run past a drive man to do it. There is just a complete lack of awareness in general to protect the paint.

Try those settings out though, they do help a bit.

[alabamarob]

Turn that help defense slider to 95. Always have the man guarding the center on leave him

[CujoMatty]

I didnt think I'd ever see the day this game would be so broken.

Interior defense is completely borked and like 24th said the bigs are always a step behind and just chase dudes all over the place. I appreciate them trying to make bigs slower and less mobile but they cant get back to play defense on a missed offensive possession. Even on a make its questionable if they make it back to play D.

Everything to do with defense is just a chore. Trying to stay in front of my man takes all my concentration and now I gotta try and micromanage the other 4 guys on the court as well. It's not fun.

My games are full court marathon dunk fests with crazy fast break and PIP numbers for the CPU as well as myself.

It's a shame because the way the cpu can rotate from double teams is quite impressive but that's literally the only good thing I see on defense.

[ataman5]

As i've stated in another thread, the game at this state is complete mess. Why would we even try it to get it work AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS!?

Do we play the game to have fun or to be beta testers, well h. we are not even being heard to get it better or paid for anything, it doesn't get any better,too.

What are we doing really? It's comical now, a big trauma.

There are a lot of games out there who base it all on risk/reward factors on each elements except nba 2k for a good amount of 4-5 years they are not into it. They don't care....

[jk31]

Quote: Originally Posted by alabamarob

Turn that help defense slider to 95. Always have the man guarding the center on leave him

I have the help slider at 100. Is this a "bug" that it needs to be at 95? And I basically always have both my bigs (Gobert and Turner) set to "leave him" for the oppsing players, even if they are capable from shooting. Like I mentioned in the first post. I want to stop Durant from driving and even leave Ibaka and Justin Holiday open. Still they don't do it.