Here are some more tips to master advanced dribbling in NBA 2K17. In my last dribbling tutorial, we went through the different moves you can pull off with the ball handler and now we’re going to go over how to branch these moves together to create combos. These are going to make the defender seem like he’s running on ice and will create space for the ball handler.
You branch dribble moves together by starting one, then transitioning to the next in quick succession, so you form a sequence. One of the most common starting moves to branch animations together with is the signature rhythm dribble. It’s the most common because the player will string together animations for you with just one flick of the stick. Playing online, you ever guarded somebody 1 on 1 and they busted this one. You could very easily lose your composure and before you know it you’re following the ball with your player. That’s the easiest way to get your ankles broken. You’re judging if the defender does anything beneficial to you while you’re sizing them up and you play off of that. If the defender is standing his ground that’s when you bust out the combo moves to force the separation. The step back is one that should always be in your arsenal and is especially deadly when you have the threat of a drive forcing them to play you honest, giving you enough room for a pull up step back jumper if you’ve lulled them to sleep enough.
Another starting move I like is the Hesitation and Cross Over Dribble. These moves get your defender moving laterally to honor the threat of a drive, and in the process makes them vulnerable to a cut back the other way if they over commit. Combining either with the step back will get the defender hopefully still moving laterally when you’re about to attempt to shoot, after you just attempted the step back. I also like to chain together the Hesitation or Cross Over escape with a double behind the back move (that you pull off by flicking the right stick down twice). This move can freeze the defender when you fake a drive back the other way before you attempt to drive the path you originally were targeting. Like if the defender is already giving you the lane off your hesitation or crossover dribble using the double behind the move back move forces him to react to the threat of a crossover before you fully commit to the drive possibly buying you even more space or space that wasn’t there on the initial move. Or you can cross the defender over officially if he defends it properly, it’s simply a read and react.
And lastly, my favorite is any move where once you’re committed to driving to the hoop, you hit the defender with one of the Iverson step backs, which is the behind the back move. You do this by letting go of the left stick and flicking the right stick away from the hoop. If you’re fortunate you can make the defender lose his balance, or else it’s a solid way to use his momentum against him to get an open shot.
Hopefully I helped you further your dribbling skills in NBA 2K17 and there’s more content to come, so stay tuned.