Summary
While a great playbook might not turn a team around, it sure can help. It still takes stars and role-players to execute any plan efficiently, but finding the right playbook to fit a team inNBA 2K24can make scoring and defending much easier and dramatically improve sim game results.
Players should analyze what they have available, such as which positions their best players play, and then they should find a playbook that makes those spots shine. Sometimes, this means examining what other teams or currently doing or looking through the plays to see who ends up shooting the ball. Sometimes, however, it can just mean looking through NBA history for teams that were dominant in their era.
10Charlotte Hornets
Great plays for a flashy guard
Fans who watch the Hornets or play them irregularly might think that their entire playbook revolves around letting their star point guard, Lamelo Ball, throw shots from everywhere, and while it is actually more complex than that, they aren’t entirely wrong.
The plays here are designed around a flurry of movement and passing that usually ends with the ball heading right back to the point guard, who brought it up for a drive or three. This is a great choice forany guard-heavy teamor a team wanting to play small ball.
9Denver Nuggets
The playbook of the defending champs
The first of back-to-back playbooks that are perfect for any team with a great, offensively-minded center or power forward. The Nugget’s playbook is reminiscent of the 2010s Grizzlies or even the current 76ers, only it seems to have refined the ideas and made them nearly unstoppable.
The plays require a two-way big that can move around while the smaller players create space with cuts and screens. It’s an unorthodox play style that leads to nice mid-range attempts for the tallest player on the floor, which are satisfying every single time they fall.
8Orlando Magic
A modern playbook focused on bigs
If a gamer has created a custom player that plays power forward or center and wants toutilize them efficientlyon both ends of the floor, then this current playbook is a great option. It is filled with updated schemes that focus on moving every player around on offense to create lanes and shots for the big boys.
The forwards and centers will find classic pick and rolls, as well as a plethora of flashier cuts and movements on the inside that try to get the ball underneath the basket and lead to plenty of slamming it down.
7Cleveland Cavaliers
An all-around playbook
The Cavaliers' playbook is great for an unselfish team looking to move the ball around andmake consistent, simple plays. Every position plays its role in a typical fashion for the most part, unless a play calls for something more specific.
There are solid pick and rolls, plays that spread all five players around the three, and cuts to the basket designed specifically to turn into alley-oops. A little bit of everything to offer a nice variety for strategizing against specific opponents.
6Milwaukee Bucks
Great for playing through a star
The Bucks have an offense that proves tough to defend simply due to the unstoppable Giannis Antetokounmpo. If a player uses a team with a star like this, able to play big but also handle the ball, then the Bucks' playbook should work perfectly. It is also great for a team wanting to give a great three-shooter some good looks.
It is full of plays that utilize taking the ball down the court with a forward and freeing up guards to hang back, get open, andnail shots from behind the arc.
51996 Chicago Bulls
The most famous offense in basketball
Phil Jackson’s triangle offense is one of the most well-known in NBA history, taking three players that are all able to score, spreading them out, then letting the ball move between them until one has a shot they like.
This is a great playbook for a team thathas a post scorerand players that score from the wings. It is built on spacing and a lot of ISO plays, so the stars of the team will have to be able to drive and make buckets in one-on-one match-ups.
42003 Mavericks
A versatile playbook that creates a steady pace
The 2003 Mavericks are one of the most likable teams ever, with Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash playing together as a fun, big and little duo of playmaking sharpshooters. They are both players with hyper-specific skill sets, and their playbook utilizes that uniqueness.
There are a ton of plays in this one, with a high volume of passing and picking to create open looks for both the guards and the bigs. This is an excellent choice for a team with a dynamic point guard as well as a post scorer.
32008 Houston Rockets
Best for driving to the basket
The 2008 Rockets were one of the most physically dominating teams of the 2000s, with the intimidating trio of Yao Ming, Ron Artest, and Dikembe Mutombo. This trio of bigs, combined with some springy guards and wing players like Tracy McGrady, made this team one of the most successful at scoring inside the paint.
This playbook is good for slashing players who want to drive andscore from nearly every angle. The paint attacking and defending are maybe the best on the list, sacrificing open threes and mid-range jumpers.
2Golden State Warriors
Open shots all around the arc
One of the most fun playbooks, and arguably the best for teams with sharpshooters, is the book used by the modern-day Golden State Warriors. The same plays that have helped Steph Curry hit more threes than any other player in history can create seemingly nonstop open looks for guards or forwards.
The plays are built around constant moving and off-ball screens, forcing the defense to chase the open players all over until one gets just enoughspace to fire off a three-ball.
12013 Heat
The big three send their regards
The second playbook built around a trifecta of scoring options, but one that manages to use all three even better than the Jordan Bull’s famous triangle. This playbook is loaded with fast plays designed to create space for flashy drives, dunks, or kickouts to open shots from three.
The plays here do require some speed and more than one star to be used to their full potential. If a players' team has a guard and some forwards that can score from a variety of places, this is easily their best choice, as it creates practically unguardable mid-range shots for all three positions.
