NBA 2K23’s gameplay overhaul reemphasizes attacking the basket
NBA 2K23’s designers are emphasizing drive-to-the-hoop gameplay with several features and changes, including more dynamic dunking with new right stick commands, an “Adrenaline Boost” to help them beat defenders off the dribble, and a long-overdue return of a one-button passing command to get AI teammates open and attacking the rim.
“Last year was very perimeter-oriented,” gameplay director Mike Wang said in a media presentation on Tuesday. “It felt like, if you got an open look, anybody can hit that shot. There’s a lot more skill that goes into shooting this year. As for the slashers, who maybe felt a little left out with the scoring last year, I think they’re going to feel more empowered.”
NBA 2K22 was a game in which bigger players, such as centers and forwards, often felt left out of playmaking, where AI teammates rarely took the initiative to get open outside of running a set play. Additionally, shot coverage — how much a defender denies their opponent an open look at the basket — had an outsize effect on shot success even if advanced players went into the menus and turned that option all the way down to zero.
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NBA 2K23 will supplement its changes to playmaking and shot creation with another set of changes to the badges system, which underpins the game’s engrossing career modes for created players. Wang and developers are implementing a new tiered approach to these badges, which are a loadout of perks that distinguish a player beyond their standard attributes.
“The tiered badge system, it makes you really think about how you want to equip your badges on your player, and in trying to figure out how to use some strategy in how you want to play a certain game,” Wang said. Basically, players can’t just load up
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