Useful NBA 2K20 Beginner's Guide

New to NBA 2K20? Here are some practical tips to help you get used to the latest games. It also provides some details about the changes made to the basic game mechanics of the NBA 2k20.

Master your Playbook

Let's tip things off where it matters most: gameplay. You can toy around with each team's various plays in the menus, and initiate them on the court by pressing L1/LB. Players are particularly aware this year with regard to individual positioning, so don't be afraid to use the Playbook to get the AI to run an important offensive or defensive play.

Where do you start?

The best place to practice these controls in 2K20 is hitting the courts in 2KU. 2KU has five different game modes, namely:

Training Game – This is the best mode to begin, it offers a range of tutorials, including shooting, dribbling, and passing, etc. This gives players the opportunity to hit the gym and learn each of the basic skills with no competition.

Freestyle – This mode sticks players in the court to practice those moves that you have honed. You can also learn your Hot Zones in the freestyle court, which will teach you which players shoot best from where.

Scrimmage – This is the first mode where you will come up against opposition, playing in a traditional 5v5 format. Losing in the scrimmage isn't the worst thing though, it is an opportunity to practice your defending and continue to learn those all-important Hot Zones.

Practice Plays – This mode gives the user the opportunity to learn pre-set plays, both on offense and defense. You can also watch the CPU run the plays for you so you can see how it's done. This is one way to quickly level up your play.

Controls and Tips – A full rundown of all of the controls in the game can be found here.

Tips for Beginner Offenses and Defenses

For offense, the most important thing to understand is that coverage can hamper your gameplay. The more open the player is, the better chance their shot has of going in, whether it's a 3pt shot, or a drive through an open lane.

For defense, the most important thing is understanding how to cover your opponent. Each player, at the start of the defensive phase, is assigned a man-to-man defense. Using L2/LT to keep close forces him to remain in a corner of your half-court, or draws him out of position – often breaking up an opponent’s approach in the process. When faced with the ball handler, L2/LT applies pressure. Also, time your jumps and block attempts.

Basic Basketball Rules

Shots made outside the arc are worth 3-points, inside the arc are worth 2, foul shots are worth 1 point;

Excessive physical contact with an opponent can lead to a foul;

Your team has 24 seconds to take a shot once taking over possession of the ball;

Once you pass the mid-court line, you cannot take the ball back across it;

You must keep the ball within the outside lines of the court;

The game consists of four quarters of play

Quick Play/Play WNBA

Once you have mastered your controls and feel comfortable in 2KU, the next port of call is to play an actual game.

There are two modes that QuickPlay or Play WNBA. Picking your settings before this first match is important too, as you need to ensure that the difficulty you pick matches your skill level. There are five game difficulty choices.

Rookie

Pro

All-Star

Superstar

Hall of Fame

We advise you to start with Rookie and work your way up, however, if you feel more confident you can start at Pro or All-Star.

BlackTop

Another good mode when starting out is BlackTop. There are five options when selecting your match set-up:

One vs One

Two vs Two

Three vs Three

Four vs Four

Five vs Five

You can test combinations of players, as well as see if you can take on the greats with a single player. You can also practice general tactics and plays, as it has a practice mode for you to mess around in as well.

Playing Online

The two main modes being Play Now Online and MyTEAM. Each of these game modes can yield good rewards, as well as a strong challenge, but everyone is satisfied in their own way.

Play Now Online

Play Now Online is so simple. No stress, unless you're going head to head against someone, and just general enjoyment of the game.

You will be paired up with players on a similar skill level to yourself. This makes for fair and competitive matchups.

There is also a tier system. Players select their team from one of three tiers, with each tier containing teams of similar quality, again this is done to make matchups fair.

Use sprint sparingly

Constant sprinting affects your man for the entirety of the game, so use the button too much in the first two quarters and you suffer for it in the crucial final moments. When attacking the rim, be patient when executing a set play, or pass the ball around to look for an opening. Essentially, strategize without increasing your player's fatigue.

Make use of Evolution Cards

One of the best additions to MyTeam is the Evolution Card. At the start of MyTeam, you're given a choice of five Evolution Cards: Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, Derrick Rose, and Hakeem Olajuwon. By completing certain challenges you can evolve your card of choice and improve its overall rating and badges.

Use Action Points in MyGM wisely

2K has introduced Action Points into MyGM: this helps challenge you when making decisions day in, day out, limiting where you decide to focus. When you embark on a new franchise, you're given the choice of picking a level of difficulty, and the easier the mode, the more AP you're given.

MyPlayer requires experimentation

MyPlayer in NBA 2K20 changes how you build the foundation of your baller, with new pie charts that highlight different ranges of statistics. These ultimately define the types of badges you're able to acquire. Not only that, but certain combinations limit the attributes you can upgrade. It's imperative that you devote some time to playing around with different variations, and accept you won't be able to be great at everything.

Be a MyCareer all-rounder

Make sure you're an all-rounder award access to more options for building your repertoire. And the mode fast becomes grind-heavy if you choose to focus solely on one particular skill.

MyCareer

This is a perfect model, In this game mode, you take on a single player in a specific position. You must guide your player through the dangers and perils of playing in an overseas league, and work your way into the big leagues of the NBA.

You will have to follow direct orders and requirements if you want to gain fame. Following the wants of your sponsors and employers will grant you greater favor with them, as well as a larger purse to walk around with and upgrade your player. This mode is best played if you want to test your mettle against the best of the best while feeling like an actual player, as it is you plus 4 NPCs against other computers.

MyTeam

A much harder game mode to work with, MyTeam gives you reins of the entire team. From the playbook to your players, you get to make the decisions about how you play and who you play against. You will have to mix and match players that you unlock and hire, as well as find the proper synergy and playstyle that fits your players the best. If you do not pick the right ones, you will end up losing against others that have built a stronger squad.

You can also take them against a roster stacked with challenges. These come in the form of weekly challenges that you will have to play through, against the computer. As you play through them all, you will be rewarded handsomely for your wins, as well as given the opportunity to play against other great players and their ragtag squads. Tip, you can also buy mt 2k20 mt at u4gm, helping you save the most time and real money, so you can enjoy fantastic basketball in the new season.

We have completed this NBA 2K20 Beginner's guide, but there is still a lot to introduce. For more help, please visit here and we've updated more key tips and tricks.