Gamers who play as a shooter in NBA 2K24 may find that the game is just plain too difficult for them at first. The shot meter is almost impossible to nail and every attempt feels stifled and doomed. After pouring Virtual Currency and attribute points at the problem, this issue persists.
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The reason for this is that shooting is all about animations as much as it is statistics or player talent. NBA 2K24 gives grades on shots and when players use the default, it feels like an F on everything. Select the best shooting animations and suddenly scoring 50+ points in every game becomes a likelihood instead of an impossibility.
Best Shots
Although grades are not listed for shots outside of jump shots, it's important to keep in release height, release speed, defensive immunity, and timing stability for every shot animation. Defensive immunity and release speed are the most important, but timing stability will make it easier to hit greens so it can't be ignored entirely.
Release height matters only in terms of getting blocked. For interior shooters, this can be a big deal but perimeter shooters will have to work hard to get their shots blocked. The metric can be a good tiebreaker but most won't notice the difference between an F or an A+ in release height unless they frequently take ill-advised shots. Even if the ball is blocked, this kind of bad decision-making won't result in many baskets anyhow.
Jump Shots
Best Overall | Custom Jumper | Requirement(s): Varies |
Best Under 6'5" | Stephen Curry | Requirement(s): Under 6'5", Mid-Range or Three-Point Shot 92+ |
Best Under 6'10" | Kobe Bryant | Requirement(s): Between 6'5" and 6'10", Mid-Range or Three-Point Shot 92+ |
Best Big Man | LaMarcus Aldridge | Requirement(s): At Least 6'10", Mid-Range or Three-Point Shot 86+ |
Nothing will ever compare to crafting the best custom jump shot. Especially for shooters who aren't pure from the field, a custom shot will help players find a stroke that is quick and accurate. For those who do make pure shooters, the difference between the ideal custom jumper and one of these defaults can be 10+ points per game. Make one early and get lots of practice with it.
Free Throws
Best With Meter | Steve Nash | Requirement(s): None |
Best Without Meter | Ray Allen | Requirement(s): None |
Unlike most other shots, players should want the free throw to be as slow as possible with a good amount of time spent at the peak of the animation with the ball for an easy green. Some players with great free throw attributes may want to turn the meter off or allow the default AI to shoot based on statistics in which case Ray Allen is a good choice. For the rest, Steve Nash holds the ball for so long at the top of his throw that it's hard to recommend anything else. The best point guards in the game tend to be the best free throw shooters so don't be surprised to see their animations reflect this.
Layup Styles
Best Overall | Kobe Bryant | Requirement(s): Under 6'10", Driving Layup 88+ |
Best Under 6'5" | Damian Lillard | Requirement(s): Under 6'5", Driving Layup 86+ |
Best Under 6'10" | Kobe Bryant | Requirement(s): Under 6'10", Driving Layup 88+ |
Best Big Man | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Requirement(s): At Least 6'10", Mid-Range or Three-Point Shot 86+ |
Layup styles need to focus on speed and a high point of release. Nothing in basketball gets blocked and disrupted so much as the layup, so this needs to be a careful decision for slashers.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best power forwards and it's no surprise to see he has a fast, strong, and tall layup.
Dribble Pull-Ups
Best Overall | Jason Williams | Requirement(s): Under 6'5" |
Best Under 6'5" | Jason Williams | Requirement(s): Under 6'5" |
Best Under 6'10" | Klay Thompson | Requirement(s): Between 6'5" and 6'10" |
Best Big Man | Dirk Nowitzki | Requirement(s): At Least 6'10" |
It's all about speed for dribble pull-ups since this shot is used to execute on a brief open window or after a screen. In that short moment, the player needs to turn and fire off an accurate shot. Klay Thompson is one of the best shooting guards and trying to stop him off of the dribble is nearly impossible off of a screen.
Spin Jumpers
Best Overall | De'Aaron Fox | Requirement(s): Under 6'5" |
Best Under 6'5" | De'Aaron Fox | Requirement(s): Under 6'5" |
Best Under 6'10" | Pro | Requirement(s): Under 6'10" |
Best Big Man | Dirk Nowitzki | Requirement(s): At Least 6'10" |
The best spin jumpers are deceptive, quick, and, most importantly, feature a nice separation move for the defender. This quick change in trajectory is solid even against tight defenses if the animation is executed quickly and efficiently.
Hop Jumpers
Best Overall | Jimmy Butler | Requirement(s): Between 6'5" and 6'10" |
Best Under 6'5" | Trey Burke | Requirement(s): Under 6'5" |
Best Under 6'10" | Jimmy Butler | Requirement(s): Between 6'5" and 6'10" |
Best Big Man | Zion Williamson | Requirement(s): At Least 6'5" |
The way players will see the hop step used most effectively is to make a move into mid-range before hopping just back over the three-point line and taking a shot. If the defender bites on the move, this can result in an open three-point attempt.
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As one of the best small forwards, Jimmy Butler's long step is tough to beat. His initial dash forward is so convincing that both human and AI opponents will naturally be back on their heels and mistakenly give him the shot he's going for.
Post Fades
Best Overall | Karl Malone | Requirement(s): None |
Quickest | Trey Burke | Requirement(s): None |
Hardest To Block | Luka Doncic | Requirement(s): None |
Post fades are considered the most impossible shot to stop in the NBA but they involve a high degree of difficulty for the shooter who must shoot while momentum goes away from the basket. Karl Malone has several animations that fake left and right which can easily get opponents off of their feet to block, leading to both free throws and open shots.
Post Hooks
Best Overall | Joel Embiid | Requirement(s): None |
Quickest | Nikola Jokic | Requirement(s): None |
Hardest To Block | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Requirement(s): None |
The post hook is an extremely accurate shot when executed correctly as the release point will often be close to the rim. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a notable exception as he famously releases on the opposite side of his body, making his hook impossible to block without fouling.
Post Hop Shots
Best Overall | Pro | Requirement(s): None |
Quickest | Austin Rivers | Requirement(s): None |
Hardest To Block | Dirk Nowitzki | Requirement(s): None |
Unlike the classic hop shots, post hop shots won't be performed near the three-point line so the big stepback is not as important. It is still critical to pull this move off quickly and to minimize the time the defender has to respond. The best centers can finish in close from the post or from range with a post hop shot.
NBA 2K24 is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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