NBA 2K23 MyPLAYER Archetypes Guide: Builds List, Tips, & Strategies

By
NBA 2KW Staff
-

Creating your build(s) in NBA 2K23 is an exciting part of the MyCAREER journey, but also comes with the risk of potentially spending your hard-earned money (if you bought VC) or time on a “bad build”. So with that in mind, it makes sense to be super thorough in figuring out what type of builds you want to create, especially with the increase in how much it costs to max out a MyPLAYER. If you’re not sure what next build to make or where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered in this NBA 2K23 Ultimate Builds Guide!

Also See:

We’ve compiled a summary of useful tips, strategies, and factors to consider before finalizing your MyPLAYER build with VC (if that’s the route you go), as well as things to do afterwards to maximize your MyPLAYER’s potential in NBA 2K23:

Creating Your MyPLAYER

Tip #1) Do Your ‘Builds’ Research

  • Check out some of the best builds for next-gen — NBA 2K23 Best Builds
  • YouTube is also a great source to find a variety of different NBA 2K23 builds
  • Once you’re done creating your build, be sure to add your build in the NBA 2K Community section!

Tip #2) Learn the Badges & Animations Requirements

  • Knowing what badges and animation tiers (based on minimum attributes) that your build may qualify for is a key factor you’re going to want to confirm before finalizing your build.
  • Check out the NBA 2K23 Badges Guide for the attribute requirements for each badge
  • Check out NBA 2K23 Animation Requirements to see what animations your build can unlock

Tip #3) Overall Talent – Skill Attributes, Athleticism, Badges, Size

  • Another way on deciding which build to make is to simply go for the most talented or OP builds, i.e. “demigod” or “meta” builds. Builds that are the most proficient in getting the most out of the attributes, having access to the most badges and most useful badges, with the best combination of size and athleticism.
  • Depending on your play style, this could mean going for the most dominant types of builds that can make the biggest impact on the court. Whether your building a scorer, lockdown defender, or a post player to bully in the paint.

Tip #4) ‘Clone’ / Copy Another Build Type or NBA Player

  • Many 2K ballers like to try to re-create a superstar NBA player in the game. This can be a good foundation, especially if you’ve successfully used that player in NBA 2K23. A good strategy is to go to the official NBA rosters and put a team together of players that have similar size, attributes, and badges as the type of player you’re thinking of creating.
  • Copy an official NBA 2K23 Replica Build (new to the game this year)
  • You can copy builds seen on NBA 2KW, YouTube, social media, etc.
  • You can base your build on the type of opponents or teammates you’ve had if they were tough to guard or OP.

Tip #5) Game Mode(s) Preference

  • Which game mode(s) will you be playing the most with this build? Will it be 2v2, 3v3 or 5v5? Will it be online or offline MyCAREER, Park or Pro-Am, or a combo of them all? Which game mode(s) you’ll likely play should be a significant factor on which type of build to make.
  • Game difficulty and competition may vary depending on which mode you play the most.
  • Some builds may be able to get by okay in The City but have a tougher time vs better competition in Pro-Am or Ante-Up.

Tip #6) Play Style

  • Your desired play style is a big factor in what build to make. Will your build be running the offense, playing off-ball as a spot-up shooter, be iso-heavy, be a hustler player, etc?
  • The type of gameplay experience you want is another thing to consider for the type of build you create. Is the build just to mess around and have fun, or more of a ‘comp’ build?
  • Another strategy is basing it on “skills” related to your inherent and specific strengths and weaknesses as an actual gamer / player. For example, if someone instinctively has great court vision and is a disciplined passer, they may be able to get away with having lower pass attributes and less passing badges. Whereas something like the “speed” attribute is hard to compensate for even if you have high basketball IQ. Additionally, someone may want to make their inherent strengths stronger. For example, if defense and defensive instincts are already one of their strengths as a player, they could amplify that by creating a beast lockdown defender.

Tip #7) Team Role / Roster Fit

  • If you’re a Pro-Am or Rec baller, creating a build that fills a team role will likely be a necessity for your squad, the types of sets your team runs, the team’s basketball philosophy/strategy on offense and defense, as well as individual and team matchups your team will face. Roster fit and what type of build(s) fair better against competition (and their builds) is always something to consider.
  • You can decide on creating a build based off of how much impact you want to have, without being dependent on teammates. For example, bigs who can rebound can make an impact without needing the ball, by controlling the glass. Big are also a good build if you’re running “solo Rec”.
  • Another thing to base it on could be on what NBA team you want to play for in MyCAREER and playing time / minutes. Obviously a team like the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors would be a bad fit if you were creating a guard, since the team is set with all-stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

   Tip #8) Grinding Process

  • Maybe you just want to earn VC fast and rep up fast so that you can make more builds easier and have more VC for it. This can be another factor for deciding which build to make.
  • Bigs are generally better for earning MyPoints due to the opportunity for plenty of rebounds.

 

After Creating Your MyPLAYER

Tip #1) Test Your Build In-Game

  • After creating your build, make sure you take advantage of the “test your build” option that 2K conveniently included, where you get to test your MyPLAYER in a game setting of 3v3 or 5v5 with a team of your choice, vs any team. You can test out your build at different overall ratings, as well as being able to select and equip all your badges.
  • Use this game as an opportunity to test out dribble moves, movement, speed, jumpshot, etc.

Tip #2) Equip a Good Jumpshot

Tip #3) Test Out Different Dribble Moves

Tip #4) Take Advantage of Quests & Boosts

  • Skill and Gatorade boosts can be used to help a player keep up with the competition, especially when starting out.
  • Take advantage of quests and different opportunities to improve your MyPLAYER’s abilities.

Tip #5) Add Your Build to the NBA 2K Community

Here are the list of archetypes in NBA 2K23.

List of Archetypes:

(Note: Work in progress)

  • 2 Way 3 Level Facilitator
  • 2 Way 3 Level Point Forward
  • 2 Way 3 Level Scorer
  • 2 Way 3 Level Shot Creator
  • 2 Way 3 PT Facilitator
  • 2 Way 3 PT Playmaker
  • 2 Way 3 PT Shot Creator
  • 2 Way Balanced Scorer
  • 2 Way Break Starter
  • 2 Way Diming 3 PT Shooter
  • 2 Way Diming Big
  • 2 Way Diming Finisher
  • 2 Way Diming Middy Specialist
  • 2 Way Diming Outside Scorer
  • 2 Way Facilitator
  • 2 Way Finisher
  • 2 Way Floor General
  • 2 Way Inside Out Combo Guard
  • 2 Way Inside Out Creator
  • 2 Way Inside Out Playmaker
  • 2 Way Inside Out Point Forward
  • 2 Way Inside Out Scorer
  • 2 Way Inside The Arc Scorer
  • 2 Way Mid Range Maestro
  • 2 Way Mid Range Shooter
  • 2 Way Mid Range Specialist
  • 2 Way Pass First Guard
  • 2 Way Pass First Point
  • 2 Way Pass First Wing
  • 2 Way Playmaker
  • 2 Way Playshot
  • 2 Way Post Playmaker
  • 2 Way Scoring Machine
  • 2 Way Sharpshooter
  • 2 Way Shooter
  • 2 Way Shot Creator
  • 2 Way Skilled Stretch Four
  • 2 Way Skilled Stretch Five
  • 2 Way Slasher
  • 2 Way Slashing Playmaker
  • 2 Way Slashing Shot Creator
  • 2 Way Stretch Four
  • 2 Way Stretch Five
  • 2 Way Stretch Glass Cleaner
  • 2 Way Stretch Playmaker
  • 2 Way Tempo Pusher
  • 2 Way Threat
  • 3 & D Guard
  • 3 & D Off Guard
  • 3 & D Point
  • 3 & D Two Guard
  • 3 & D Wing
  • 3 Level Playmaker
  • 3 Level Scorer
  • 3 Level Scoring Glass Cleaner
  • 3 Level Shot Creator
  • 3 PT Combo Guard
  • 3 PT Playmaker
  • 3 PT Shooter
  • 3 PT Specialist
  • All Around 2 Way
  • Athletic Finisher
  • Back to Basket Big
  • Balanced Offensive Point
  • Balanced Scorer
  • Ball Hawk
  • Deep Range Shot Creator
  • Defender / Rebounder
  • Defensive Anchor
  • Diming 3 & D Guard
  • Diming 3 & D Two Guard
  • Diming 3 Level Scorer
  • Diming Finisher
  • Diming Glass Cleaner
  • Diming Inside Out Scorer
  • Diming Inside The Arc Scorer
  • Diming Outside Scorer
  • Diming Paint Beast
  • Face Up Four
  • Face Up Glass Cleaner
  • Face Up Playmaker
  • Facilitating 3 Level 2 Way
  • Facilitating Finisher
  • Facilitating Shooter
  • Finesse Finisher
  • Finisher
  • Floor Spacing Slasher
  • Glass Cleaner
  • Glass Cleaning Dimer
  • Glass Cleaning Finisher
  • Glass Cleaning Lockdown
  • Glass Cleaning Shot Creator
  • Handles / Passing
  • Hybrid Defender
  • Inside Out Combo Guard
  • Inside Out Facilitator
  • Inside Out Playmaker
  • Inside Out Glass Cleaner
  • Inside Out Scorer
  • Inside Out Shot Creator
  • Interior Big
  • Interior Finisher
  • Interior Force
  • Interior Playmaker
  • Inside The Arc Glass Cleaner
  • Jack of All Trades
  • Lob Threat
  • Lockdown Defender
  • Mid Interior Facilitator
  • Mid Range Finisher
  • Mid Range Maestro
  • Mid Range Playmaker
  • Mid Range Shooter
  • Mid Range Slasher
  • Mid Range Specialist
  • Multi Position Defender
  • Offense Initiator
  • Offensive Minded Wing
  • Offensive Orientated Four
  • Offensive Orientated Five
  • Offensive Threat
  • Paint Beast
  • Paint Defender
  • Pass-First Big
  • Passing and Ball Handling
  • Perimeter Defender
  • Perimeter Lockdown
  • Playmaking 3 Level Scorer
  • Playmaking Glass Cleaner
  • Playmaking Four
  • Playmaking Five
  • Playmaking Paint Beast
  • Playmaking Shot Creator
  • Playmaking Slasher
  • Point Power Forward
  • Post Playmaker
  • Prospect
  • Rebounder
  • Rebounding Guard
  • Rebounding Point
  • Rebounding Wing
  • Rugged Playmaker
  • Scoring Machine
  • Scrappy Point
  • Scrappy Two Guard
  • Scrappy Wing
  • Secondary Ball Handler
  • Sharpshooter
  • Sharpshooting Facilitator
  • Sharpshooting Shot Creator
  • Shooter
  • Shot Blocking Guard
  • Shot Blocking Wing
  • Shot Creator
  • Skilled Defensive Anchor
  • Skilled Glass Cleaner
  • Skilled Interior Force
  • Slasher
  • Slashing Playmaker
  • Small Ball Wing
  • Small Ball Four
  • Stretch Dimer
  • Stretch Facilitator
  • Stretch Four
  • Stretch Five
  • Stretch Glass Cleaner
  • Stretch Playmaker
  • Tempo Pushing Guard
  • Versatile Offensive Force
  • Versatile Paint Beast
  • Well Rounded Guard
  • Well Rounded Wing
  • Well Rounded Four

NBA 2K23 REPLICA BUILDS

  • Agent Zero
  • Air Jordan
  • B-Diddy
  • Baby Boogie
  • Baby Boy
  • Big Blue
  • Big Country
  • Big Penguin
  • Big Smooth
  • Blade
  • Blue Arrow
  • Bones
  • Born Ready
  • Boy Wonder
  • Brodie
  • Chairman of the Boards
  • Chef
  • Crash
  • Deebo
  • Dice
  • Diesel
  • Doc
  • Dominayton
  • Downtown
  • Dr J
  • Dunkenstein
  • Flash
  • Freak
  • Garbage Man
  • Grandmama
  • Half Man, Half Amazing
  • Hot Rod
  • Houdini of the Hardwood
  • Human Highlight Reel
  • Ice Trae
  • Iron Man
  • Jellybean
  • King
  • Krypto
  • Lil Penny
  • Little General
  • Magic
  • Mamba
  • Melo
  • Mr. Basketball
  • Mr. Big Shot
  • Off-Night
  • PG-13
  • Point God
  • Pooh
  • Prince of Darkness
  • Reign Man
  • Rip
  • Silk
  • Skip 2 My Lou
  • Sleepy
  • Slim Reaper
  • Splash Mountain
  • S.T.A.T.
  • Sugar
  • Swaggy Swag
  • Swipa
  • Swish
  • The Admiral
  • The Ankletaker
  • The Answer
  • The Beard
  • The Big Dipper
  • The Big Fundamental
  • The Big O
  • The Big Ticket
  • The Blade
  • The Brow
  • The Chief
  • The Dream
  • The Franchise
  • The Glide
  • The Glove
  • The Greyhound
  • The Hick From French Lick
  • The Jet
  • The Joker
  • The Kangaroo Kid
  • The Klaw
  • The Logo
  • The Mailman
  • The Matador
  • The Matrix
  • The Mayor
  • The Microwave
  • The Problem
  • The Process
  • The Secretary of Defense
  • The Stifle Tower
  • The Truth
  • The Unicorn
  • The Wizard
  • The Worm
  • Threezus
  • Tiny
  • T-Mac
  • Truck
  • Wave Papi
  • Wild Thing
  • Young Bull
  • Zanos
  • Zeke
  • Zo

At the end of day, it’s about trying to make the best build you can and which fits your play style, along with any other factors that are important to you for getting the most out of the gameplay experience. We hope these tips and strategies for creating your MyPLAYER have helped you decide on which builds to make!