NBA 2K22: Beginner Tips For MyCareer - Game Rant

The MyCareer mode in NBA 2K22 is considered among the best sports fantasy experiences gamers can have. Living the dream as an NBA superstar is as good as advertised, with league analysts and the game's pro athletes all recognizing the sheer dominance of the customized MyPlayer.

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Unfortunately, things can also go south pretty quickly. While NBA 2K22 is a platform for fun and excitement, the wrong move can cost players a spot on their favorite team, real-life money, and double-digit hours. So for those about to play, here are the best things to do to ensure that the MyCareer experience is as incredible as it is cracked up to be.

Updated on May 4th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: With little variation, how players enjoy their MyCareer experience will define their enjoyment of the game itself. There are so many ways that the experience can go wrong and this leads to a rather unpleasant learning curve for new players, especially ones that spent their hard-earned money. This year, even veteran players are being tripped up due to the single-player experience being completely gutted on PC and last-gen platforms. This guide has been updated with more information to help players have as successful a career as possible.

16 Test Builds First

This is the first and more important piece of advice. There is no limit on making players, testing them out, and then fine-tuning them. Once the MyCareer path is started, the path is locked in. Maybe some badges can be shifted, but the skill breakdowns, physical build, size, and attributes are locked in.

It's highly recommended to try out everything. Try out every position and every build. Once finding a build that works, like the best dunker possible, tweak it a little bit. Once it plays like a dream, then it's alright to get things started. Leave no road for regrets after finishing the process.

15 Mix In Defense

Players should make the build that most appeals to them. This, in no way, is an attempt to tell players what to do. Players that have fun completely abandoning defense should be permitted to do so. But it does come with a warning label.

Pro players will advise picking up defense on almost any build. Half of the game is spent on defense, so being terrible on one side of the court is a liability. Also, even splitting defense with another area of the game still enables the Hall of Fame level of badges.

14 Play To Player Strengths

There are many things to love and hate about the game but any player that finds their skills not suited to the position will get much more of the latter. Not everyone is gifted at everything, not even the pros, and that's perfectly fine!

Can't dribble? Make a big man or a spot-up shooter. Can't time shots? Make a dunker. Can't swipe the ball? Make a blocker. Don't bother trying to be the best at everything when positions only require being good at specific skills.

13 Know The Team

Players in the NBA often fail because they don't work with the team. Players can make the same mistakes in the game by not understanding what their teammates can do. Passing to a wide-open man on the perimeter might feel like a success until gamers realize that guy can't shoot threes.

By knowing which players work best off of a screen, who can shoot threes, and who can play interior defense, the MyPlayer can get more assists and defensive numbers. Even the humble players not interested in padding stats will find they win more games.

12 Fine Tune The Settings

There are some settings on the main screen that most players will spot and adjust easily, but MyCareer has its own settings and does not coordinate with the main menu settings. Every player starting a new career will want to adjust these settings before playing a game.

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Some of these categories can be changed during the game, like the volume and camera angle. However, game length, difficulty, fatigue, injuries, and more will need to be switched to the player's preference beforehand. Players only get one legacy, it's awful to see it get messed up because of an unoptimized default setting.

11 Attend Every Practice

Amateur players sometimes skip practices because they are boring and don't seem to contribute much to the raw attributes. These charges are both true, but MyCareer delivers two huge reasons why skipping them is not a smart move.

First off, while potential attributes will likely only increase slightly, each drill delivers a large lump sum toward badges. Badges can help big men block better and turn long-range shooters into the best three-point shooter to ever live. Second, for MyCareer, the plot and story are buried entirely in the practices. Skipping them means missing the banter between the player and the coach entirely.

10 Quit Before A Bad Play

One loss and it's onto the draft. Players will need to win several of these college games if they want to be considered one of the best draft picks. Skill helps, but even the best point guard build ever can make a bad play. Being drafted high matters because it provides more VC per game played. But winning can be tough as a new player at this level.

Unlike Madden, there is no way to restart a game or start it over in this campaign. So the smartest thing to do is, right before a blown play, quit and then re-enter. The team last with the ball will make a pass inbound, enabling MyPlayer to rewrite a different story for the play. Just make sure to quit before the big dunk is given up, not after.

9 Don't Spend VC Until After The Main Campaign Is Finished

Virtual Currency (VC) doesn't refund between characters. Once the money is invested, it's gone. So imagine this scenario: Players spend their hard-earned money, make the best point guard the world has ever seen, then get drafted by the Golden State Warriors, who have Steph Curry, and only use the MyPlayer as a backup.

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This exact scenario happened during an initial playthrough of this game. After going through the game once, players can choose which team they want to play for and skip the campaign when they make a new player. It's better to either do this or play the MyCareer mode several times until finding a good situation. Just make sure the situation is set before spending a dime, real-life currency or otherwise.

8 Play To Win And Increase Teammate Grade

There are only two priorities during the college portion of MyCareer: Winning and teammate grade. Victory matters partly for the story and partly because it gives the player more opportunities to have big games. Scouts see a "big game" as a high teammate grade, not a filled-up stat box.

After winning, the most important thing is to get that teammate grade up as high as possible. A fancy dunk might look cool, but passing to the right man yields a higher grade. Take time on each possession to pass the ball to open players, even if there's an easy shot.

7 Go To The Combine?

Players who won their college championship will likely be in the "Solid 1st Round Pick" category. This is as high as it gets, so if the only concern is maximum VC, skip the combine. There is a slight caveat to this, though.

Check the list of interested teams. The combine can be a last-ditch effort to influence a team that doesn't feel the need to draft the player. Beware: a bad combine can also decrease the player's stock or make teams uninterested. Brush up on the drills before deciding to attend.