MyCareer Beginner

[Blue]

So I bought the game from the steam sale recently. I played a lot 2K before but not this year's MyCareer. I know there's a lot of new things here.
So my point is, need help from people who really is expert in this game mode. Any tips or tricks that'll help me throughout the game.

In my first few games in nba as timberwolves I struggle a lot. Btw, I'm currently 68 ovr and only have a few vc.
Yep still trash, pardon me am still in a learning phase. So, any suggestions is much appreciated and thanks in advance.

[Andrew]

So, one of the first things to focus on is grinding for VC so that you can get your attributes up as soon as possible. This means doing everything you possibly can to earn VC. Spin the Daily Prize wheel (located in the room next to the Ante-Up courts) and hope it lands on one of the VC prizes. It's always worth a try, as free VC is nothing to turn down. Also, between NBA games, shooting around on your MyCOURT and performing different tasks (make ten shots in a row, make five bank shots, dunk in each basket, etc) will earn up to 500 VC. After you've earned that VC, you'll need to play another NBA game before it resets and you can earn more VC from MyCOURT. Obviously, playing the games and getting a good teammate grade while putting up stats will boost your VC earnings as well. Getting endorsements will also earn significant chunks of VC here and there.

Focus on upgrading your key skills first. If you don't have enough VC to upgrade a key skill and what you can afford isn't that helpful to your build, just save your VC, let it accumulate, and then spend it on the more useful ratings upgrade. The other thing you absolutely need to do is earn Badges, because the boosts they provide are extremely useful, offline and online. I'd need to know your build before I can suggest any specific Badges, but there are a few that stand out. For a big man, Intimidator is a must, because you'll alter a lot of shots just by being in the vicinity. Contact Finisher is a must for any build that looks to score inside a lot, while there are a handful of Badges that maximise the effectiveness of shooting builds.

Again, I'd need to know your build to make more specific suggestions, but picking the right Badges and upgrading a few key ones to Gold or even Hall of Fame level is very important. Head to the training facility between games to run through drills for extra XP towards gaining/upgrading Badges. Once you've maxed out all your Badges, you can skip practices without penalty or missed opportunity. You can also get a boost to your physical attributes by working out in the Gatorade Gym. It can definitely help a bit, especially while your ratings are still low. Winning Gatorade and Skills Boosts on the Daily Prize wheel helps as well, and saves you from buying them, which means you keep your VC for ratings upgrades. On that note, forget about buying any cosmetic items (except maybe cheap NBA accessories if you really want to outfit your player with them) until you've hit a high cap and are swimming in VC. You can also win cosmetic items through the daily spin, which also helps with VC budgeting.

Is there anything else specific that you'd like to know?

[Blue]

So, one of the first things to focus on is grinding for VC so that you can get your attributes up as soon as possible. This means doing everything you possibly can to earn VC. Spin the Daily Prize wheel (located in the room next to the Ante-Up courts) and hope it lands on one of the VC prizes. It's always worth a try, as free VC is nothing to turn down. Also, between NBA games, shooting around on your MyCOURT and performing different tasks (make ten shots in a row, make five bank shots, dunk in each basket, etc) will earn up to 500 VC. After you've earned that VC, you'll need to play another NBA game before it resets and you can earn more VC from MyCOURT. Obviously, playing the games and getting a good teammate grade while putting up stats will boost your VC earnings as well. Getting endorsements will also earn significant chunks of VC here and there.

Focus on upgrading your key skills first. If you don't have enough VC to upgrade a key skill and what you can afford isn't that helpful to your build, just save your VC, let it accumulate, and then spend it on the more useful ratings upgrade. The other thing you absolutely need to do is earn Badges, because the boosts they provide are extremely useful, offline and online. I'd need to know your build before I can suggest any specific Badges, but there are a few that stand out. For a big man, Intimidator is a must, because you'll alter a lot of shots just by being in the vicinity. Contact Finisher is a must for any build that looks to score inside a lot, while there are a handful of Badges that maximise the effectiveness of shooting builds.

Again, I'd need to know your build to make more specific suggestions, but picking the right Badges and upgrading a few key ones to Gold or even Hall of Fame level is very important. Head to the training facility between games to run through drills for extra XP towards gaining/upgrading Badges. Once you've maxed out all your Badges, you can skip practices without penalty or missed opportunity. You can also get a boost to your physical attributes by working out in the Gatorade Gym. It can definitely help a bit, especially while your ratings are still low. Winning Gatorade and Skills Boosts on the Daily Prize wheel helps as well, and saves you from buying them, which means you keep your VC for ratings upgrades. On that note, forget about buying any cosmetic items (except maybe cheap NBA accessories if you really want to outfit your player with them) until you've hit a high cap and are swimming in VC. You can also win cosmetic items through the daily spin, which also helps with VC budgeting.

Is there anything else specific that you'd like to know?

Actually, I've seen plenty of youtubers saying grinding and playing is a must. Then they all saying the same thing, so I guess I really should.

By the way tho my build currently is a 3-Level Scorer Shooting Guard with a shot creator takeover, well basically it's just like Luka build.
For now I only have 1 finishing badge which is a bronze contact finisher and 1 shooting which is the bronze quick draw. Yeah, and thanks for the response bro.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that is the good part of Badges and level caps. There's a limit on how quickly we can level up, even if we buy VC. Maintains balance online, ensures that there's a bit of a journey offline. My recommendation is to grind for VC rather than buy it, out of principle as much as anything else. Something I forgot to mention before: visit your agent (VC Sports Management in The Neighborhood) once every 24 hours to pick up an extra 500 VC. It all helps.

What are your ratings caps like? What's your preferred style? I might be able to suggest a few more specific Badges if you can show me that info via some screenshots. I'd definitely upgrade Contact Finisher. If you're developing shooting ratings as well, the Quick Draw Badge is unfortunately a necessity given how they handled shooting speed in NBA 2K20; Bronze or Silver might be enough there.

Obviously it depends on how many Badge upgrades you've got available, but here are some others I'd suggest. For Finishing Badges, you might want to consider Acrobat, Giant Slayer, and depending on what kind of releases you usually get on layups, Consistent Finisher or Pro Touch. They're all useful for point guards and wing players when it comes to finishing around the rim.

For Shooting Badges, the aforementioned Quick Draw, Catch & Shoot, Corner Specialist, Range Extender, Steady Shooter, and Deadeye are all useful. Depending on how good you are at getting Green Releases, Flexible Release and Green Machine are also Badges you might consider. Volume Shooter can come in handy, as even just a Bronze level of that Badge can help you keep your percentages up as you rack up field goal attempts. Difficult Shots is one you'll probably want to take, especially with the Shot Creator Takeover ability. That'll make you quite deadly.

When it comes to Playmaking Badges, I love getting assists, so I'd recommend Dimer to help boost your teammate's shooting percentages. Ankle Breaker, Tight Handles, Needle Threader, and Downhill are also quite important. Unpluckable isn't as effective as it should be, especially online, but I'd still say it's worth it. As a Scorer you may not have a lot of upgrades here, but those would be some to consider if you're able to get a few.

Defense/Rebounding Badges to consider include Pick Pocket, Pick Dodger, and Clamps. You may also want to consider Interceptor. As I said before, Intimidator is a good one for bigs, but smaller builds can also make use of its cheesy effects so if you don't like any other options there, it's another one you might take.

Animation selection is obviously important, too. A lot of that comes down to personal preference; which ones you feel work best for you. As far as shooting goes though, I've been a big fan of Klay Thompson's free throw and jumpshot animations for guard/wing builds. The timing is pretty easy to get down, and it works both online and offline. Again, it's personal preference, but I'd throw it out there as a recommendation of one to try if you're still looking for an animation that works.

From a gameplay/mechanics perspective, shooting is a lot easier once you know your animation and how to get Green releases fairly consistently. Familiarising yourself with the animation will give you a visual cue for the perfect release point, but the rumble feedback is also helpful here, as it'll start as you're entering the Green zone. The other thing to remember - and I'll admit to being bad about this - is to use advanced moves such as euro steps, spin gathers, and the like. Even the simple pump fake is a move that's easy to overlook and under-utilise when trying to elude defenders and get them off balance. You don't need to be trying for complex combos on every possession, but don't forget to use all the tricks at your disposal!

Once you get to around 75 Overall, the NBA side of things will get a lot easier. 80 Overall and above, and online will start getting easier as well, especially as you add more and more Badges. As I said, be sure to do everything you can to grind for VC between games, and grind for Badges in games and in practice. In drills that are started by the coach, like 3-on-3 Continuous and the like, make sure you're doing things that work towards Badges you're grinding for (like shooting threes or finishing at the rim). Every so often you'll have an NBA Legend visit your team during a practice session, and that'll add a multiplier that boosts your Badge XP earnings. Also keep in mind that when you're grinding for Shooting and Finishing Badges, percentage is just as important as volume as far as earning big chunks of XP. Hitting five threes in a game is good, but it's negated if it's 5/20, and the XP earnings will reflect that.

Keep Team Chemistry high (giving team-oriented answers to interview questions helps here) so that the offense runs smoothly, and your teammates are more likely to pass you the ball when you call for it. Picking options that win fans, as well as dunking, getting triple-doubles, etc, help out with endorsements and thus VC. When you get the opportunity to pick your incentives, make sure they're ones that you can hit pretty much every game, and you'll eventually earn some decent amounts of VC on top of your salary and Teammate Grade earnings.

I think that's about it! Anything else specific, feel free to ask!

[Blue]

Yeah, that is the good part of Badges and level caps. There's a limit on how quickly we can level up, even if we buy VC. Maintains balance online, ensures that there's a bit of a journey offline. My recommendation is to grind for VC rather than buy it, out of principle as much as anything else. Something I forgot to mention before: visit your agent (VC Sports Management in The Neighborhood) once every 24 hours to pick up an extra 500 VC. It all helps.

What are your ratings caps like? What's your preferred style? I might be able to suggest a few more specific Badges if you can show me that info via some screenshots. I'd definitely upgrade Contact Finisher. If you're developing shooting ratings as well, the Quick Draw Badge is unfortunately a necessity given how they handled shooting speed in NBA 2K20; Bronze or Silver might be enough there.

Obviously it depends on how many Badge upgrades you've got available, but here are some others I'd suggest. For Finishing Badges, you might want to consider Acrobat, Giant Slayer, and depending on what kind of releases you usually get on layups, Consistent Finisher or Pro Touch. They're all useful for point guards and wing players when it comes to finishing around the rim.

For Shooting Badges, the aforementioned Quick Draw, Catch & Shoot, Corner Specialist, Range Extender, Steady Shooter, and Deadeye are all useful. Depending on how good you are at getting Green Releases, Flexible Release and Green Machine are also Badges you might consider. Volume Shooter can come in handy, as even just a Bronze level of that Badge can help you keep your percentages up as you rack up field goal attempts. Difficult Shots is one you'll probably want to take, especially with the Shot Creator Takeover ability. That'll make you quite deadly.

When it comes to Playmaking Badges, I love getting assists, so I'd recommend Dimer to help boost your teammate's shooting percentages. Ankle Breaker, Tight Handles, Needle Threader, and Downhill are also quite important. Unpluckable isn't as effective as it should be, especially online, but I'd still say it's worth it. As a Scorer you may not have a lot of upgrades here, but those would be some to consider if you're able to get a few.

Defense/Rebounding Badges to consider include Pick Pocket, Pick Dodger, and Clamps. You may also want to consider Interceptor. As I said before, Intimidator is a good one for bigs, but smaller builds can also make use of its cheesy effects so if you don't like any other options there, it's another one you might take.

Animation selection is obviously important, too. A lot of that comes down to personal preference; which ones you feel work best for you. As far as shooting goes though, I've been a big fan of Klay Thompson's free throw and jumpshot animations for guard/wing builds. The timing is pretty easy to get down, and it works both online and offline. Again, it's personal preference, but I'd throw it out there as a recommendation of one to try if you're still looking for an animation that works.

From a gameplay/mechanics perspective, shooting is a lot easier once you know your animation and how to get Green releases fairly consistently. Familiarising yourself with the animation will give you a visual cue for the perfect release point, but the rumble feedback is also helpful here, as it'll start as you're entering the Green zone. The other thing to remember - and I'll admit to being bad about this - is to use advanced moves such as euro steps, spin gathers, and the like. Even the simple pump fake is a move that's easy to overlook and under-utilise when trying to elude defenders and get them off balance. You don't need to be trying for complex combos on every possession, but don't forget to use all the tricks at your disposal!

Once you get to around 75 Overall, the NBA side of things will get a lot easier. 80 Overall and above, and online will start getting easier as well, especially as you add more and more Badges. As I said, be sure to do everything you can to grind for VC between games, and grind for Badges in games and in practice. In drills that are started by the coach, like 3-on-3 Continuous and the like, make sure you're doing things that work towards Badges you're grinding for (like shooting threes or finishing at the rim). Every so often you'll have an NBA Legend visit your team during a practice session, and that'll add a multiplier that boosts your Badge XP earnings. Also keep in mind that when you're grinding for Shooting and Finishing Badges, percentage is just as important as volume as far as earning big chunks of XP. Hitting five threes in a game is good, but it's negated if it's 5/20, and the XP earnings will reflect that.

Keep Team Chemistry high (giving team-oriented answers to interview questions helps here) so that the offense runs smoothly, and your teammates are more likely to pass you the ball when you call for it. Picking options that win fans, as well as dunking, getting triple-doubles, etc, help out with endorsements and thus VC. When you get the opportunity to pick your incentives, make sure they're ones that you can hit pretty much every game, and you'll eventually earn some decent amounts of VC on top of your salary and Teammate Grade earnings.

I think that's about it! Anything else specific, feel free to ask!

Well for now currently focusing more on shooting. Like you know I kinda want to hit those step back 3s just like doncic did.
So yeah I'll try to look forward into these things. And once again thanks for the tips bro it'll be a huge help for me.

[Andrew]

No worries. Definitely work towards some of those Shooting Badges that I mentioned. I'd say they're not just a huge help, but basically essential.