Getting embarrassed by your opponent when trying to play on ball defense? Our NBA 2K17 Perimeter Defense Tutorial will show you how to lock up the quickest of ball handlers.
GET IN A DEFENSIVE STANCE
First off, is your defensive stance you want to get down into a defensive stance by hitting LT or L2 on your controller. It lets you take short quick steps around the court, oppose to running straight up which if your chasing a defender standing straight up, you’re very vulnerable to step backs or even a sudden stop by the ball handler can send you flying. Which is why the quick shuffle is put in place, to substitute the times when you need to make up ground in a hurry, and you activate this by holding LT and RT or L2 and R2 as you move the left stick.
Guys with higher lateral quickness can naturally move much faster utilizing this. Then depending on the type of player you’re guarding, you want to adjust how close or far you are from them accordingly. So, a guy like Westbrook, you want to sag off him a bit, and Steph Curry you want to be closer, hoping to run him off the 3-point line. For my baseball fans, it’s basically take away their fastball by your positioning. But that’s the thing, you don’t want to be too far or too close or your helping no one. You want to be close enough where you can still contest Westbrook’s shot and be in solid position to stop Curry if he should drive.
MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT DEPTH
Next up is maintaining proper depth, while still in your stance, once the player begins to dribble, hone in on his body instead of the ball, because even though Rasheed Wallace said ball don’t lie, it tells plenty lies when you’re defending someone with it. Because the elite ball handlers will have you ball watching and before you know it you’re on the ground wondering what happened.
Once he starts to move and you get into your defensive stance or quick shuffle, try the best you can to move in a straight line across the court as you follow the ball handler, so you’re consistent in your depth and you’re not giving up positioning for a 3pointer or drive. Because what happens a lot is once the ball handler moves left or right, guys will start to directly run at the ball handler to catch back up instead of matching his steps thus giving up something the ball handler really didn’t earn.
STEAL OPPORTUNITIES
Next is when to go for the steal, in 2K17 you can steal the ball with X or Square depending on your console or the Right Stick. You want to go for the steal when you have a clear look at the ball, because then if you don’t get the steal, the ball handler will more likely go into defense mode to protect the ball, so no trying to go through the defenders body for the steal or you will be called for a foul.
PATIENCE
And lastly like in the post defense video, it’s even more critical now on the perimeter do not leave your feet, I was lucky on this one but you don’t want to leave it up to that. The best option you have is to contest the shot by putting your hands up to decrease their chance of making it. And you do this by holding LT or L2 and move the right stick in any direction, and you’ll still be in great defensive position if they don’t shoot, oppose to the all or nothing style of the block attempt on the perimeter. Must remember guys your job is to make every shot they take on the perimeter difficult, not be Dikembe Mutombo.
To play great perimeter defense, you must be disciplined to maintain your defensive stance and proper depth with every move the ball handler makes so you’re still in position to bother every shot with your hand that they attempt to put up. I hope this helped you guys out and expect more NBA 2k17 Defensive Tips soon.