Operation Sports Asks: Would You Like an NBA 2K Gameplay Mechanic Based On 'Decay'?

[ChaseB]

Whether green releases should exist or not is one topic of discussion that comes up quite...

Written By: Chase Becotte

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[ksuttonjr76]

I'm on the fence with this one. As a 2-way PG, I have to defend against PGs that will literally dance behind 1-2 bigs setting screens until they get to their hot zone and shoot an "uncontested" shot. It's frustrating, because I can outsmart the picks for the first 8-12 seconds before I finally get caught on the one screen that allows for the uncontested shot. To me, there should be some form of decay that lessen the probability of a green release, because NBA players don't dance behind screens for the entire shot clock, and I don't want to hear that crap of "If a coach can keep using the same play blah, blah, blah, blah.". IRL, the refs would eventually call an illegal screen and NBA DON'T shoot 80+% from 3PT land.

To expand on the article, I wouldn't mind seeing decay on repetitive tactics if it promote ball movement.

[jej8523]

I'm also on the fence with this. On one hand, a "gunner" will always be a gunner; on the other hand there are real life penalties that already exist for this that could, theoretically, be implemented in a game.


The decay shouldn't really be with the ballhandler because history shows it isn't realistic to artificially fatigue them for over-dribbling (think Iverson, Marbury, Arenas, etc.). The decay should be with the teamates standing around the court doing nothing.


Maybe, instead of getting 8-12 screens to run behind, your teammates either: (a) become less effective on screens; (b) get called for illegal screens more frequently; or (c) refuse to set multiple screens, outright. Try getting 12 screens, back-to-back-to-back, in a pickup game; it doesn't happen. Ever.


Another idea would be to lower the awareness of the teammates just standing around. For example, if you DO decide to pass the ball, the chance of them not being "aware" of the pass coming is increased causing more frequent turnovers. If the pass IS successful, there could be a prolonged catch animation, a reduction in all shooting and/or handling attributes, strength or speed, etc. Fatigue could take a hit for the remaining possession (both offensive and defensive). Usually, when you're not getting touches on offense, its harder to get invested on defense. Watch how quickly an Expressive-type NBA player (irl) gets back on D after a teammate takes a bad, or forced, shot.



2K needs to use common sense, sometimes. Just my $.02.

[ksuttonjr76]

Actually...we don't need decay. They just need to adjust shooting percentages where players can't shoot 80+% after dancing behind screens for most of the shot clock. Change that and the tactic moves from "all of the time" to "some of the time". I played a game last night where my opponent shot 9 of 10 from 3PT land by dancing behind screens. That was literally what they did for most of the game. Yes, I got 3 steals, but 3 steals can't overcome that type of shooting.

[howardphillips214]

I would love this, really. If you watch a lot of NBA ball, the most effective shooters are not off the dribble shooters. There are great off the dribble shooters, Curry, Dame, Kemba. These guys get most of their shots off the dribble EARLY in the shot clock. If a shooter wants to come down and pull a 30 footer, that should be an early in the shot clock thing. On top of that, there should be a hard cap of something like high 30 percent on that shot. The Curry brothers are 2 of the top 5 shooters of all time and shoot roughly around 43-44 percent for their careers. It's absolutely nuts to me that players can average 70-80 percent all year long in the myplayer modes.

I also would love to see more of an emphasis on offball screens and ball movement. Klay Thompson is one of the greatest catch and shoot players of all time. But he doesn't just stand in one spot all game while Curry dribbles for 20 seconds then kicks out for a wide open 3. I think catch and shoot players absolutely need to focus on running and gunning. A "wrap" in 2k is already deadly, but i would love to see players run figure 8 patterns, cutting through the paint, playing off the ball like the Warriors do. Klay has to have some of the best conditioning we've ever seen from a player with how he moves off the ball. Consistently getting open should be a skill.

The issue with 5 out and 4 out is that there is no skill involved. There is no ball movement. Old school coaches would emphasyze 4 passes before a shot goes up. If passing mechanics were improved so the ball could truly travel faster than the defense can react, it would be a dream come true to me. I used to play PG a lot and i would NEVER pound the air out of the ball. I would make long outlet passes before the D could set up, if i actually crossed half court with the ball, i would dump to the wing and try and get a give-and-go action going. These are true basketball principles that have been lost along the way in online modes. Too much emphasis in 1v1 play make the game stale. I would love to see elite passers being a valuable asset to their team. Rather than simply relying on a scoring PG to draw doubles and help defense to get wide open shooters who don't move.

There should absolutely be mechanics in the game that discourage 1v1 play and promote ball movement and slowing the game down. Right now every game in Rec that's played at a high level is getting stops, pushing the tempo, or playing iso ball in a half court set.

I think it would take much more than a simple 1 size fits all mechanic, but a huge philosophical change in the gameplay entirely.

If you watch the Nuggets play, they run the offense through Jokic. They're one of the most original bass-ackwards offenses on today's Modern NBA as their PG is primarily an off ball scorer. This would be amazing to see a team completely reverse the meta online. Post play has been in decline for years in 2k and we actually tried to look at the MyPlayer builder yesterday trying to make a big that could shoot, dribble, and post while still finishing at a high clip. I'm not saying that the Nuggets are the craziest offense ever, but it would be interesting to see teams play inside-out vs. Outside-in.

The pick and roll action in this game is pretty decent. But there isn't enough separation between a great rim runner and just a giant who's big. Players like Blake Griffin can run the break, run PNR as the main ball handler, and also post up. This player is currently unavailable in the MyPlayer modes. And when using a team like the Pistons online, they don't replicate what BG does when healthy. I think all around a shift in having more diversity in styles of play in every game mode would be welcome. MyTeam players have been saying there's a meta in the way that mode has been played for years. A PG ahhh can dribble, shoot,and finish shouldn't be the end all be all of 2k gameplay. Having a dominant C or PF like a Giannis would be amazing to see be effective.

[MrWrestling3]

In some ways, I think you might have answered the question yourself in the article....."Bottom line, speed bursting around, doing one move while getting a pick, stopping on a dime and greening a shot do not make up an ideal way to engender creativity, so is there a better way?".

Speed bursting off of certain dribble animations, pverall lack of correct player momentum, and the ease with which players can obtain a green release(made even worse by badges) are all problems that need to be addressed.

Really IMO, there is an overall issue with the game just being built in a way that over emphasizes hunting for stats and highlight plays, and undervalues foundational team oriented basketball.

[ChaseB]

Quote: Originally Posted by ksuttonjr76

Actually...we don't need decay. They just need to adjust shooting percentages where players can't shoot 80+% after dancing behind screens for most of the shot clock. Change that and the tactic moves from "all of the time" to "some of the time". I played a game last night where my opponent shot 9 of 10 from 3PT land by dancing behind screens. That was literally what they did for most of the game. Yes, I got 3 steals, but 3 steals can't overcome that type of shooting.

But wouldn't decay sort of be the point of that? If your shooting stats have dipped by doing this for most of the shot clock, it would impact your ability to do that.

[TonyBake]

Ehhhh IDK if this is really necessary. Maybe 2K should just...you know...remove green releases from the game because having a perfect release where the shot is guaranteed to go in is a silly arcadey game mechanic.

And 2K still has work to do improving screens in general. No one IRL can set screens 8-10 times in a possession because the chances of a moving screen are much higher and because it would take too long. I always thought screens were "too fast" in 2K if that makes sense. You shouldn't be able to re-screen 6 times in like 8 seconds lol.