NBA 2K17 Freelance Offense Community Wiki

[LorenzoDC]

Just getting this year's version of the thread set up. I will update this OP as we get content. I will update the OP to add links to any video or other great tutorials people make about freelance offenses.

If you are new to basketball gaming or don't feel like you understand the basics of basketball well enough to really understand how to use offenses in the game, here's a video to break down the basics for you.

If you are going to use freelance offenses, be sure you read the post just after this one on this page for essential information.

The goal here is to make a one stop, all information thread about freelance offenses in 2k17, and to answer questions about how to use them throughout the comment section.

This will be a thread with specific information about each freelance, such as favorite branches, strengths and weaknesses, etc.


Shout out to Da Czar, the President of #simnation: Don't play video games, play basketball!

UPDATE 12-3-16 For those of you who like to select the play types for your players and edit the defaults Watch This First:

Spoiler

ACE is making play calling and freelance action decisions on offense from a team offense point of view, and the player play type defaults guide that. The play types at default are not just about player attributes and tendencies but about how player action fit in to how each team likes to run its offense. That means things like post up plays may be assigned to some non scoring bigs not to get them the ball down low but to get players in spaces that fit with the team's offensive style. same for iso play types, guard post ups and handoffs.

So if you update the defaults for your offline MyGM or MyCareer, you may be inadvertently messing with how the teams run their offenses from a sim point of view. And for teams you control, changing play assignments will matter if you use ACE set to ON or you play with it off but use ACE for quick plays or Scoring Actions freelance. Check out the video for better understanding, that's just my quick take and summary.

Jazz Motion Freelance by City_foxx

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Mavericks Freelance by kyle81

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3 Out Freelance Offense by Da Czar

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Grizzlies Playbook UPDATE by Da Czar January 2017

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OKC Thunder Playbook and ACE UPDATE, based off Hornets (Swing Based) Freelance by Da Czar January 2017

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Corner (Bucks) Freelance by Da Czar with bonus on Bucks playbook updates

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Rockets Freelance by Da Czar

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Hornets Freelance (Motion Cuts) by The Blackra1n21

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Running Side Pick and Roll using 2 Man Freelance (Space the Floor) by Da Czar

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This is not a full 2 Man Freelance Offense Overview but it shows how to clear a side of the floor for side pick and roll using this freelance with space the floor setting. This avoids the problem with 4 out and 5 out freelance sets where a wing player cuts through and clogs the paint when you try to run side pick and roll actions in those freelance systems.

Eighties Freelance (Motion Cuts) by TheBlackra1n21

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Swing Offense (Motion Cuts) by TheBlackra1n21

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Princeton Chin (Space the Floor) by Mr. NBA 2K

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Knicks Freelance (Motion Cuts) by Da Czar

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Flow (Motion Cuts with side PnF) by Sam Pham

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Clippers Freelance (Space the Floor) by TRaVY2k

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This shows how to use the freelance in Spread the Floor for user pick and roll. It doesn't include the basic motion cuts actions because TRaVY2k likes to use it with space, just FYI.

Triangle Offense Freelance by LorenzoDC, plus JANUARY 2017 UPDATE from Da Czar

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Dribble Drive Motion by jeebs9 & one by TRaVY2k

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Looks like this is good for when you have very physical, tight on ball defense and you need to generate lanes to the basket to break through.





Here's another by TRaVY2k

Hawks Swing Motion Freelance by Da Czar UPDATED by Czar 12-3-16

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12-3-16 UPDATE:

Horns Set Actions by Sam Pham, plus Horns Set Update by Da Czar, January 2017

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1 - 4 Freelance Offense by GetBucketsGaming

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Lakers Freelance (No Audio) by gluv65 with a Lakers Playbook Update from Czar 12-3-16

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Czar's Laker Playbook Update 12-3-16:

Pace & Space by Sam Pham

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Pace & Space Offense by TRaVY2k

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5 Out Offense Video Tutorial by TRaVY2k

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Imotepe, Barnsey, iFnotWhyNoT and 15 others like this.

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Last edited by LorenzoDC; 02-23-2017 at 11:18 AM. Reason: updated the OP with new content

[LorenzoDC]

IMPORTANT: Motion Cuts versus Scoring Actions in Freelance

Da_Czar did a live stream where he went over the Hawks freelance in response to having seen some comments in this thread. That video is posted in the OP but I'll post it again below under the spoiler tag because it contains some essential information about how to understand how to use freelance offenses in NBA 2k17. There are very significant differences in how freelance offenses are put together this year versus NBA 2k16.

Here's the video for reference:

Spoiler

Here are my notes. If you want to be successful using freelance offenses this year, trust me, you need to know the following:

About Motion Cuts:

• Make sure you set your Coach Settings to display offensive PlayVision for all plays and PlayVision Display to Full (or Lite if you prefer). Otherwise you won't know what's going on and will miss when you need to take the next action to continue the flow.
• Designed in 2k17 to provide predictable, consistent motion that can be pretty easily memorized.
• Actions are repetitive.
• Actions depend on the alignment of player positions on the floor.
• So, for example, a swing motion based offense can have both of the PF and C around the post positions in one formation, and in other formations, one of those players may be on the perimeter with only one big down low.
• In that case, the actions that flow in the motion cuts freelance depend on those base configurations, and each freelance system has a few such base configurations.
• To fully understand a freelance system and the actions it offers, you want to test it out and observe the things that occur from each of the player alignment configurations on the floor.
• The best way to observe and discover the base configurations in any freelance is to change the setting to Space the Floor and move the ball around. You'll find the base configurations and spacing options that way.
• Motion Cuts should be easy for you to get used to after a little while and then you can use the predictability of it to work out your own favorite little user initiated actions once yo understand the flow and spacing. That mean's pick and rolls, handoffs, give and go's, etc.
• If you hld the ball in place for a second or two then the system will initiate some new action to get things moving again.
• You can also always trigger actions by initiating on your own by making a pass.
• Players in motions cuts can still make some dynamic reads and break the pattern based on what if happening with the defense (such as an overplaying defender) but there's not a lot of that. This is the key difference from Motion Cuts in NBA 2k16, where there were many more dynamic reads and variations available.
• Once you get feel for the actions under Motion Cuts that happen depending on where your personnel are lined up, you can use motion to set up the player spacing you want and then use the Smart Play feature to get you into a play based on that base set alignment.

About Scoring Actions:

• Make sure you set your Coach Settings to display offensive PlayVision for all plays and PlayVision Display to Full (or Lite if you prefer). Otherwise you won't know what's going on and will miss when you need to take the next action to continue the flow.
• Under Scoring Actions, the freelance will operate using the same base formations of personnel and spacing, but will not give the repeatable motion patterns of Motion Cuts.
• Instead, once you initiate action with a pass, ACE will pick and run a play deigned to set up a shot based on your game plan (which you can leave at default during a game or choose for yourself).
• So, if your best scorer and/or the game situation dictate that you get the ball into your offensive post up threat, ACE will create action to make that happen.
• There are many possible variations available for scoring actions, including different scorers, ball movements and plays. If you run your offense through Scoring Actions, on any given possession, you won't know what's coming. The system is dynamic and deep.
• That's how Scoring Actions takes over for a lot of the depth and variation we saw under Motion Cuts last year, though it's deeper and more varied this year under Scoring Actions.
  
• If you pass the ball and keep moving under Scoring Actions, you will get good motion. But once you hold the ball in place for a second or two, the play art will show you the scoring action play that has been called. Reminder: if you don't have play art visible, yo won't see what's going on.
• The options generated will depend on who's on the floor (note: Czar was talking about offense but I think the reads also include the defense to identify mismatches). ACE will give priority to your game plan but will also secondarily look at who has the ball and where your players are to select something that can be more easily initiated from your current position and who is closest to the ball.

Quick Summary:

Motions Cuts is not as deep as last year. It's meant to give you some predictability you can use to create on your own. Scoring Actions is much deeper and strategically built to help you get buckets without calling your own plays, based on your game plan and personnel on the floor.

[LorenzoDC]

To get people started, here's Da Czar's overview of how to get in to freelance this year through the menus, and what's different about freelance this year over last year. It's deeper and more dynamic.

I definitely recommend viewing it for people just beginning to learn and understand freelance, and for experienced players who need to catch up on the new bells and whistles.



Here are the noteworthy nuggets I pulled from the video. Since there’s no blog from Czar this year, here’s a poor man’s substitute:

• Last year, you could run your freelance offense as “space the floor,” “motion cuts” and “freelance.” This year it’s “space the floor,” motion cuts” and “scoring options.”
• Menus have been simplified to cut the number of clicks and actions required to access the freelance system you want. Check the video for visual instructions.
• There are “set offenses” in the game this year, which allow you to run your offense from basic NBA offensive spacing options and philosophies, such as horns or floppy. The action here are not too deep at launch but Czar will be adding much more depth during the year. These are not deep and varied enough to run for 48 minutes of a full game (yet) but they make good change of pace strategies. So, for example, if you have some shooters out there, maybe you just want to run out of floppy for a few possessions.
• Sets are made to be run with scoring actions. There is motion but it’s not deep. With scoring actions, the sets will generate options from the set based on ACE reads that follow your game plan. It’s pretty cool because you don’t even have to run or call plays from this freelance approach.
• Horns set runs from the top, so if your ball handler goes to the wing extended, the system play art will prompt you to get the ball up top.
• The 3 out 2 in offense this year allows for more flexible placement of the post players around the key, whereas last year it was static. The different placements are based on dynamic reads or just (I think) when ACE just varies things up to keep the defense from sitting on one offensive approach.
• Space the floor is still best for when you want to create your own actions, but spacing is a bit cleaner this year.
• This year, if you are in motion cuts and you are static with the ball, after 2 seconds, the freelance offense will initiate movement so you don’t end up getting stuck as people did last year if they were not in the right freelance initiation points on the floor.
• Last year, systems like “3 out 2” in had basic and “3 out 2 in motion” versions. This year there is no separation, and the motion system is deeper with more branches and options. This is also true of 4 out 1 in.
• Handoffs are cleaner this year, and players hop accept the handoff more fluidly.
• ACE based dynamic actions are based on your offensive plan of attack and the players on the floor. Last year the branches were more static and predictable in a given freelance but they will be much more varied this year based on your offensive plan and personnel. This includes pick and roll, off ball screens, cuts to the basket, post ups, clear out iso’s, etc. from any of your teammates.
• If you want to fully control what ACE does go to coaching options menu and turn the auto ACE options off.
• All freelances have scoring actions expect things like flex, which is a pass based motion system designed to just let the guy catching the ball who is most open shoot.
• Best way to play freelance is to go to coaching options and turn play art on for all plays.
• Scoring actions will operate dynamically and intelligently based on your game plan and who your biggest scoring threats are on the floor.
• Some offenses are more complex than others, such as Princeton and Triangle. If you’re going to run those you probably want to understand better how they operate and what they are trying to do. It’s best to run those in motion cuts, and not scoring actions, because of how much they are based on motion, passing and spacing. You can run Triangle out of scoring actions but it will end up running a reduced version of triangle with less variation.
• Every freelance can be run as motion cuts.
• Defensive ACE rotations are smarter. For example, help side defense is smarter about taking away the lane on pick and roll, or bringing a guy to “the nail” as they do in the NBA (up by the foul line).
• Freelances will continue to evolve through the year and have content added (NOTE: he did not say if this will make it through to franchise modes).
• Czar did not cut freelances from last year but some have not had much added, such as Pace & Space. The exception, as noted above, is where 3 out and 4 out freelances from last year were consolidated.
• Czar’s goal is to eventually make this whole offensive system library in 2k into a kind of basketball offensive encyclopedia.
• There are about 30 or more freelance offenses in the game. Right now Knicks default freelance is Triangle but there is also a setting for Kicks freelance that also right now runs Triangle. But, if they add their own unique wrinkles under Hornacek this year then those changes will be updated into the Knicks freelance offense (this point was made in a different video, but I remembered it so I'm including it).
• There’s a defensive setting to use against dominant pick and roll bigs called “tag the roller” which will assign a defender to come up and get in the way of the big man when he rolls to kill momentum and cut off the play. But if you use these settings, you need to properly execute your pick and roll coverage assignment (over, under, ice) or else your teammates will be out of position because you did the wrong thing, and your defense will break down. If you’re new to making defensive assignments on pick and roll Czar’s tip is you make them all the same and always do that, so you don’t have to remember what to do based on who’s running pick and roll.

[Impetuous65]

Dope thread, just a little nugget you may want to add to your Original post. That you're missing that may help those who freelance.

"SMART PLAY" from the Da_Czar stream he stated that Smart Play is Freelance in the front court, e.g. If you select smart play in the backcourt it calls a play from the playbook, if you select a smart play in the frontcourt it will select a freelance play.

[jyoung]

If you're running a freelance set (horns or floppy, for example) make sure to put it on scoring actions. Czar said last night that sets work best with scoring actions turned on. All sets can be easily identified because they have the word set in the name.

In the full freelance offenses that are designed to have motion cuts turned on, you can initiate action by holding the ball for a count of 2 in one of the trigger locations (top of the key, wing, corner, et al.) or by making a pass.

[LorenzoDC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Impetuous65

Dope thread, just a little nugget you may want to add to your Original post. That you're missing that may help those who freelance. "SMART PLAY" from the Da_Czar stream he stated that Smart Play is Freelance in the front court, e.g. If you select smart play in the backcourt it calls a play from the playbook, if you select a smart play in the frontcourt it will select a freelance play.

Cool. I'm going to use comment #2 above for things like this as people come up with them, so hang on with this. Right now I need the mods to make this sticky!

[LorenzoDC]

I'm giving this a bump as I've updated the OP with some freelance tutorials from the community.

If you put any content together to teach freelances to people please PM me or make a comment in this thread so I can post it.

This was a very popular thread last year that went sticky so if anyone has content, let me know so we can get it viewed. Text based breakdowns are welcome as in the format in the OP.

I don't have anything myself yet as I'm still (for the first time) trying out MyCareer. But I"m sure I'll get to some stuff again.

[Graphik]

This needs a bump or stickey. I was searching for these answers yesterdays.