More NBA 2K22 Gameplay details have been revealed via NBA 2K22 Gameplay Director, Mike Wang, also know as @Beluba on Twitter. Wang has been answering questions from the 2K Community about NBA 2K22, going over the new gameplay additions, shooting, dribbling, animations, and more. Here’s what we’ve learned so far from him about 2K22 gameplay:
[Updated 9/2/21]
General
- Gameplay shots/moves will stay in the game once released
- Current and next gen are much more similar on-court this year compared to last
- You won’t lose 99 overall on next gen this year, as there is a new and different system in place.
- Next gen has a lot more content due to the extra memory but the core animations (such as sig moves and shots) are the same.
Animations
- The plan is to release the same signature animations on both gens
- Animations are unlocked throughout the year, some new some old
- Gating more animations based on size and ability this year
Dribbling
- Curry slide will start out as a locked animation
- Dribbling is closer to 2K20 than 2K21
- 85 Ball Handle required for Pro dribble moves
- The speed glitch from current gen 2K21 is gone
- There are 2 main sizeups. Sig Sizeups are what you get when you flick RS in any direction from a stand. They’re like last year’s Basic Sizeups but have a signature look/feel. Sig Combos are mini-movies that play out by themselves when you hold Sprint and flick RS Up.
- There are height requirements as well as ball handle requirements for many dribble moves.
- Signature size-ups — My current plan is to start with 20 options on day 1 and then release 4 new ones each season. 52 total.
- Hopes that speed glitch won’t be in the game
- Parks moves aren’t coming back until Mike Wang can come up with a better way to do them w/o interfering with the core dribble moves.
Finishing / Dunking
- Move and hold Pro Stick Down to start the dunk, meter starts to fill, release the stick to stop the meter. If you hit the perfect timing (middle of the make window) you’ll always make it. If you’re in the window but miss perfect timing, there’s still a chance to miss.
- You can still get contact dunks without using the Aggressive Skill Dunk feature, but they’re a lot more rare. The Skill Dunk feature is new gen only.
- The dunk meter stays on even when the shot meter option is turned off
- Floaters are much more useful this year. open middies are $$
- For Standing Dunk timing — They are quick and harder to time so it’s probably best to just stick with the Shot Button or different Pro Stick directions. But if you DO, you can boost your make % with Pro Stick Down. So there’s risk, but also reward for using it.
- Aggressive Skill dunks let you attempt dunks in situations where you’d otherwise get a layup. I wouldn’t say it’s a guaranteed dunk EVERYTIME though. We tried that and it was either cheesy or a brick fest. I think it’s in a good spot now but will fine tune from community feedback.
- Aggressive skill dunking is for new gen only
- Standing Contact dunks will use the same logic as last year. Ie. you won’t need to use Pro Stick Down to see an increase in standing contact dunk frequency.
- You can still spin dunk but that cheesy one from the 3PT line is dead
- There are dunk landings. Some wild ones too. Dunk landings are in both gens
Shooting
- Jump shots won’t be taken away, only added
- New jumpshot landings
- Shot meter returns
- Shot aiming is gone
- Vibration shot cue is gone
- Larger weight on shot coverage
- Shooting is more predictable
- You don’t have to be as high as last year to be a perimeter shooting threat, if you have good timing at least.
- Real player percentage is still in the game
- Having no shot meter will still give a boost to shot percentage
- With the right ratings/badges, mid-range fades are deadly.
- Shot speed no longer varies based on distance, but it will still vary based on other factors, such as fatigue.
- 3PT recognition is still in the game
- Press shot stick up to shoot bank shots.
- The (shot) meter pops up while the pass is in the air. If you press the Shot Button too early, you’ll miss the catch completely. If you stop it inside the window, you’ll make the shot (or have a good chance to at least). If you don’t press the button at all, you’ll catch and come down.
- Shot timing — If you cut the make window into 4 equal pieces: the 2 outer pieces (Early/Late) get an extra penalty. The 2 inner pieces (Slightly Early/Late) get an extra bonus. Excellent is a guaranteed make. And Very Early/Late (outside the make window) is a guaranteed miss.
- The shot meter is the same on both gens.
- Shot speed is still a variable, it just doesn’t vary based on distance anymore. That was still easy to exploit.
- Hesitant to say what 3PT rating you’ll need to be consistent because it’s going to vary from player to player based on how good they are with shot timing. it’s definitely easier to hit 3’s with a lower rating than 22 though. I’d probably say it’s closer to 20 or in between.
- The Close/Mid/3PT ratings are shot type agnostic. It’s more about how far you’re shooting from the rim than what type of shot you’re doing. So if you’re shooting a floater or pullup in close range, it uses Close Shot.
Defense
- Better steal animations unlocked after a certain threshold is met for steal rating in next-gen. The steal rating is much more important for steal success this year.
- Shot contest system was a primary focus for 2K devs
- The new contest system is much more reliable and predictable
- The motion team did a lot of work to improve the feel of navigating around screens, reduced the vacuum effect. improved resolution logic, and more. They feel much tighter now.
- For contests, we use interior def. in the paint and perimeter def. outside this year. The Block rating will determine how frequently you actually make contact with the ball.
- There’s a significant boost to shot defense, body up resolutions, etc. when manually controlled by the player as opposed to letting the AI do those things for you in head to head modes.
MyPLAYER Builder
- There’s still a height cutoff for some jumpers. 6’9 and under builds will have access to all jumpshots.
- Ball handling requirements are the same for both gens
- There are benefits to going above 85… mainly your moves will be faster and more effective. There are still 3 general tiers: <60, 60-84, 85+ but there are different sigs unlocked at varying other ratings… 65, 70, 75, 80
- There are pie charts in the current gen builder. Some new pies were added.
Badges
- All badges are identical between both gens
- The new Hyperdrive Badge only increases speed on right stick dribble moves
- The new Glue Hands badge = less fumbled catches, can branch out from it much easier
- Steady Shooter Badge is has been removed
- Showtime and Heart Crusher Badge have been removed
- Deep 3’s was essentially split off into 2 separate skills, off dribble=Chef, and catch and shoot = Limitless Spot-up.
- The higher the tier (of Menace Badge), the more attributes are hit
- (Posterizer Badge) boosts the frequency of contact dunks with the button and makes it easier to successfully finish aggressive skill dunks (for next-gen).
- Sniper Badge modifies the impact of shot timing. It gives you an extra boost for well-timed shots and an extra penalty for poorly timed shots. Think of it as the opposite of Flexible Release.
- Flexible release is no longer in the game
- Intimidator and Rim Protector are the 2 main badges for rim protection. paint defense is probably in my top 5 2K22 upgrades this year. Blocking is miles better than it has been in the past.
- Chef Badge rules (possibly could change): Must be 30 ft. from the basket, have to wait 2 or more seconds after a catch, have to be moving for at least 1/2 second, if you stop before shooting you have to shoot before 1 second expires.
- Chef Badge – It kicks in for actual off-dribble shots like pull-ups and stepbacks but will also work if you’ve been moving a while, stop, and shoot. But you have to shoot within 1 second.
- Sniper Badge modifies the impact of shot timing. It gives you an extra boost for well-timed shots and an extra penalty for poorly timed shots. Think of it as the opposite of Flexible Release.
- Mixmatch Expert Badge — doesn’t necessarily have to be a matchup switch, it takes effect anytime you’re undersized against your defender, similar to Giant Slayer.
(NEW BADGES)
- Fast Twitch – Ability to get off the floor quicker for standing layups and dunks
- Grace Under Pressure – Ability to convert standing layups more effectively
- Limitless Takeoff – Ability to soar from further away on driving dunk attempts
- Mouse in the House – Ability for bigs to finish over shorter players more efficiently
- Unstrippable – Ability to secure the ball better when gathering for a layup/dunk in traffic
- Chef – Ability to knock down Steph-like off-dribble deep 3’s
- Limitless Spot-up – Ability to hit logo-range 3’s off a catch and shoot
- Lucky #7 – Boosts your ability to score when shooting early in the clock
- Mismatch Expert – Ability to successfully shoot over taller defenders on a switch
- Glue Hands – Ability to make difficult catches and quicker branch out to a shot or dribble
- Hyperdrive – Boosts the speed and effectiveness of moving dribble moves
- Quick Chain – Boosts the ability to quickly chain dribble moves together
- Post Playmaker – Boosts the effectiveness of both shots and moves when playing in the post
- Triple Threat Juke – Increases the effectiveness of triple threat fakes, jabs, and go moves
- Ball Stripper – Ability to strip layup and dunk attempts more effectively
- Hustler – Ability to get to those scrappy 50/50 balls quicker than opponents
- Menace – Significantly drops the offensive ratings of opponents when you smother them
REMOVED BADGES
- Heat Seeker
- Highlight Film
- Anti-Freeze
- Deep Threes
- Hot Shot
- Ice in Veins
- Tireless Shooter
- Relay Passer
- Clutch Defender
- Heart Crusher
- Hot Stopper
- Trapper
Takeover
- Takeover Perks boosts Takeover meter faster
