Can I get an explanation of player position strategy?

[takki]

I'm not much of a basketball fan, I only have a very basic knowledge of the game. I don't understand the strategy behind which players I should choose for each position. Especially since this game has no penalties for playing people out of position?

Obviously I need someone who is good in the post at center and my best floor general/shooter at PG but besides that, does it even matter who I put at PF, SG and SF? Do things like player height mismatches actually have a dramatic effect on gameplay?

Also I'd love an explanation of substitution strategy. I just have it set to auto with random players on my bench but my bench sucks so when by B team comes out, I suffer for the 15 minutes they are out there.

[JenNettles]

Height certainly does matter. There's a lot of stuff to consider, though.

Your point guard needs to be able to pass at minimum. That's a good part of his role is to be the primary ball handler, so he has to be able to pass. It's also nice if he can defend, as he'll be against the other team's primary ball handler, so defence there is important. They're usually the smallest guys on the court, and that goes hand-in-hand with being the fastest on the court, generally. So when you pick a guard, you have to think what roll he'll have for you, and will he be able to also match up against whatever guard they run with.

That's just an example. It's all about how you structure your offence. I run through my Point Guard, who has to be able to do it all. Shoot, drive, defend, run, pass. He's the jack of all trades who ties the team together. If a big gets the ball, he'll cheat toward him because bigs don't have the handles to keep the ball for long so he can grab some steals that way. He's fast enough to get back to his man usually, not that bigs are great passers either, so little risk. My Shooting Guard needs to be able to shoot jumpers and defend. Mid is usually the priority, with a 3 that can at least hit occasionally. SF is the 3 specialist, and defence is a plus. PFs and Cs, all defence and rebounding. It's an even bigger plus if they have a mid game so I can space my team a little better.

If you're running a triangle offence, everyone needs to be able to shoot and pass. That's built upon the principle that a defender can't outrun a pass, so you pass rapidly until someone is open.

All about how you find success offensively. I was just like you, btw. I didn't get into basketball until just this year, but I've learned to appreciate the beauty in the plays. I can tell you about hockey plays all day, but basketball was foreign. It's been fun to learn.

[pro_cow_tipper]

Yeah, I'd highly recommend you take auto subs off. How often you sub really depends on the pace of your offense. I run a transition heavy game with lots of leak outs and fast breaks. Play with your Points of Emphasis during timeouts and figure out what you like.

I usually sub my PF and C out 3-4 minutes into the game to keep their stamina above 85 or so; you'll get a better feel for how tired your players are the more you play. I usually keep Curry and Lebron in 4-5 minutes, because they have high staminas and regenerate faster. Plus, it's very nice having them on the court. I usually just swap out Harden, Wade, and Beal depending if I'm wanting offense, defense, or an easy 3 ball.

The main concern is keep an eye on your bigs stamina, because after about 80 or so it starts dropping significiantly faster and they'll have to be out longer to regenerate. Also, when it gets low their speed and vertical goes downhill. Pro tip: don't hold down the sprint button all the time. If you aren't immediately trying to get a fast break it's ok to jog down instead of sprinting.

[harryl]

Quote: Originally Posted by pro_cow_tipper

I usually keep Curry and Lebron in 4-5 minutes, because they have high staminas and regenerate faster.

With Lebron, in particular, it's easy to get hot and, while hot, his ratings remain high despite his fatigue. While hot, he's still deadly on both sides of the court while Energy is in low-to-mid 70s. He also at least seems to stay hot even after long regenerative stints on the bench.