Pick & Rolls and Set Plays are two of the deadliest offensive weapons on 2K. If you don’t game plan for them on defense or if you don’t have counter measures against them, you are a sitting duck on defense. Playing games versus players who know how to take advantage of those offenses weapons can be frustrating, AND embarrassing if you arrive unprepared. In the video below I am going to show you how to effectively slow down both Pick & Rolls and Set Plays on 2K with smart versatile defense schemes.
Double Team
No, I am not talking about spamming double team. That only works against lower skilled players, face someone who understands calling quick isolation would destroy double teams 24/7 and you are in for some rage quits. I am talking about double teaming the strong-side as a play develops on the weak-side. You can see in the video above that’s exactly what I did, and I was able to “BLOW” up my opponent’s set plays in many occasions. NBA 2K’s plays run on delicate play chains, break one part of the chain and the entire play will halt to a stop. Double teaming at the right time will ensure you break some deadly set plays. 63 Fist becomes harmless if you simply double the ball handler as the duo pick is developing.
To double effectively, simply click L1 and then select the icon of the player you want to send off to double team.
Defending the Pick and Roll
There are 4 ways to defend the pick and roll in NBA 2K.
1) Manual hard hedge as the defensive big.
2) Manually go over/under the screen as the on ball defender
3) Rotate as the weak-side big to overload the strong side
4) Control the weak-side big and send an icon double team on the ball handler.
In the video above you can see me use options 1 + 4 to stop my opponent’s pick and roll attack. Executing these options aren’t too difficult, make the decision on which to use is the hard part. To select the correct option you must understand the basketball relationship between the 4 players involved in the pick and roll.
In the first clip I decided to manual hard hedge with Brandon Wright vs Stuckey and Hill because Wright is fast and Hill can’t shoot. I also didn’t want Stuckey to drive because Adams is a poor on ball defender. As a result a Wright hard hedge was the optimal defensive maneuver.
In the second clip I sent an icon double team on to George Hill with Z-Bo and Conley because the PnR was High and Lavoy Allen can shoot the mid range. Z-Bo is too slow to hard hedge therefore doubling on ball with Conley, who’s a smart defender, is a viable defensive countermeasure.
I hope you guys enjoyed the video and my NBA 2K15 Defensive Tips. As always feel free to ask me anything on 2K, I will see all of you next time ^_^!