Top NBA 2K League draft pick and coach offer tips and tricks for key game modes

NBA’s 2K League has increased its popularity in its second year. The 21-team league has spent the last few months competing for the $1.2 million prize pool. Live streaming its playoff tournament on Twitch, the best gamers will faceoff from July 24 to Aug. 3.

The News-Press talked to Sam Salyers (aka Gradient), the second overall pick in the 2019 Draft, and Tommy Abdenour, head coach of the Warriors Gaming Squad, for the best tips and tricks for Play Now, MyTeam, and Pro-Am modes.

Play Now is an exhibition game where you pick a team and use the preset roster to play another like the Celtics vs. the Heat. MyTeam is where you buy, sell and earn players to make your own team and play against others. Pro-Am is where you take your avatars and join four other players to form a team to play 5 vs. 5 against other teams. This is the route to get draft-eligible for the 2K League.

On building a MyPlayer

Salyers doesn’t think there’s one specific skill your MyPlayer needs to be successful. While any well-rounded team will have at least one above-average shooter, Salyers stressed that a player should find their best skill and hone it.

“If you find one thing you’re strong at, like slashing to the basket or (playing) in the post, I think you just dominate that one area and then build around that,” Salyers said. “If you can dominate one area, a team is going to want you regardless of what it is.”

2K MyPlayer is centered around certain player archetypes — unique player builds that have higher ratings than others. Salyers developed into one of the best players in the league as a Pure Lockdown before winning THE TURN tournament as a Slashing Defender. As a professional gamer, Salyers can purchase virtual currency immediately and boost his avatar’s stats. But the strategy remains the same even without spending real-world dollars.

“Whatever archetype you make,” Salyers said, “maximize a player’s strengths.”

Abdenour stresses learning a player’s best skills, too, while also preaching adjustability. For example, a lockdown defender is all about timing. To build one, a player must practice and experiment with button combinations. Understanding certain animations can unlock a player’s potential.

“2K is one of those games that are gonna keep evolving,” Abdenour said. “More lineup creations and more creativity can lend itself to the game.”

On managing a MyTeam

Salyers focuses on anchoring his squad around one dynamic player. One of his favorite stars to use in the game is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Salyers surrounds himself with efficient 3-point shooters — much like the real-life Milwaukee Bucks do — and runs a five-out system. With the shot clock ticking down, Salyers will take Antetokounmpo to the post and beat his defender one-on-one.

On play now

Salyers has tiers of teams he likes to use in normal exhibition matches. He’ll favor the Bucks as a top-team option due to his connection with Antetokounmpo. Salyers will also pick the Philadelphia 76ers with their length and defending. He’s able to run the pick-and-roll with star players Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. When using a lower-level team, he’ll select the Brooklyn Nets, also demonstrating a pick-and-roll system while utilizing Brooklyn’s shooters.

With a new game released each fall, there is a potential for new mechanics to change the style in which the game is played. This past edition, 2K19, featured a more-defensive minded system, which fit Salyers style. Yet, Salyers is not worried about picking up the tricks for 2K20 and each subsequent game.

“For myself,” Salyers said, “it’s not entirely so hard because I’ve put in so many hours to the game. I just got to figure out what’s good, how the game is gonna be played. …I kind of know the direction it’s gonna take when I start playing the game. I pride myself in being a balanced player.”

Abdenour also believes that the best players will find success, no matter the year, once they become comfortable with the play style.

“Play the game,” Abdenour said, “it’s all about repetition. Be open-minded, there are multiple ways to play and the more creative you can be and the more you can experiment you may be able to put yourself above somebody else because you figured something out that somebody else didn’t.”