NBA 2K24: 5 Best Tips for Beginners

Indeed, NBA 2K23 and NBA 2K24 don’t have much of a difference between them. And so, players who have played the predecessor may have a bit of an easier start heading into the new release. But this year’s edition comes with a mountain of virtual currency to amass to upgrade your player to competitive status. 

Without paying real money, transitioning from rookie to Hall of Famer can be a grueling process. Worry not, though, as we’ve curated the best NBA 2K24 tips for beginners that every newbie and seasoned player can use as a stepping stone toward dominating the court.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice

Contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t always take seasoned players to win. Newbies who’ve just booted up the game can climb the ranks, too. However, it’s not going to be easy to do so, certainly not by picking up the controller and instantly becoming a Hall of Famer. 

You’ll need to practice yourself to learn your player’s jump shots, signature moves, and all that fun stuff to use them on-court properly. If you realize they’re no good, then feel free to switch them out, especially in MyTeam, where you’re free to pick out your roster.

So, how do you practice? Well, first, head out to the freestyle mode in single-player in MyTeam. Here, you’re free to iron out your player’s shooting, dribbling skills, and release timing. It’s completely free-form, and you can practice over and over until you feel confident that you’ve got it right.

There’s also the scrimmage mode, which allows you to practice an actual game between two teams. It’s the perfect way to flesh out your team’s skills. And iron out specifics like running plays without the shot clock running. 

The third is playing an actual game in a quick game, like MyLeague and MyCareer, where you go up against the CPU. It’s always good to jump into Triple Threat offline, or Domination. This way, you can grind out extra MT to help you level up. 

Lastly, remember to put in your weekly workouts at the Gatorade Training Facility. That also helps to upgrade your overall ratings and earn extra VC. And when you feel confident, head out into competition against friends or online players, keeping in mind that while it won’t be easy, it’ll take time and practice to get better. 

4. Height Matters

There are so many player cards – nearly 450 at launch. It’s definitely confusing choosing cards to add to your collection, and the basic gold, sapphire, ruby, and so on just aren’t enough to determine the best ones. You’ll need these cards to unlock players for your ultimate dream team. So, then, how do you choose which ones to prioritize?

Well, any card that has less than an 80 rating is a gold card. As you progress, you get emerald, sapphire, ruby, and amethyst all the way up to the highest gem tier: dark matter, with a 99 overall rating. Michael Jordan has a 99 rating card. Players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are ranked at 96. So, it’s a no-brainer which cards make your team the ultimate fantasy dream team.

But higher-rated cards are so damn expensive. So, you’ll need your own vetting process to select the best cards gradually as you work your way up. The attribute to give the most priority is height. Particularly when you’re looking for centers, you want to focus on height. You can find a Victor Wembanyama card rated at 75, yet he's pretty decent on the court, thanks to his whopping 7’5” height.

Besides height, though, keep an eye out for a player’s lateral speed and badge count, too. The more badges a card has, the better it will play. 

3. You Don’t Have to Spend Money to Have Fun or Win Games

As aforementioned, NBA 2K24 has decided, this time around, to convert the player cards on MyTeam into a full-on marketplace. The same goes for MyCareer and any place you’ll need to enhance your performance. You can either grind or pay up.

The thing is, you don’t have to spend money to have fun or win games. Sure. You can upgrade faster when you pay up. However, it beats the purpose of working your way up toward victory. 

Admittedly, the grinding process can take its toll on you, especially if you want to take on online challenges with other players. In that case, you can check out some budget cards that also hold high potential to win games.

At the end of the day, not every player on the leaderboard bought their way to the top. And it’s more fun that way to reap the benefits of honest work.

2. Level Up Your Player

At the core of the game is to enhance your player’s performance. So, start easy by picking a team. Then, pick a player from that team. Learn their strengths and weaknesses to know the best positions they can excel at. Practice hard in freestyle and scrimmage modes, then play quick games to get your player grinding on the court. 

Study your player’s stats and upgrade the ones he’s struggling with, like assists or turnovers. You can even start at the rookie level and then gradually increase the difficulty. Once they’re good to go, move on to the next player and the next one, and then turn your attention toward leveling up as a team. 

1. Perfect Your Shots

Did you know that you can customize your shot release timing in the settings? It’s called the Shot Timing Visual Cue, which gives you an idea of when to release the ball at the perfect time. Feel free to switch between the different shot types, like three-pointers, jump shots, or layups. Then, practice with your selected shot timing in freestyle mode.  

The idea is to keep an eye on the shot meter or animation cues, time the shot appropriately, and carve your way into a versatile pro scorer.

So, what’s your take? Do you agree with our best NBA 2K24 tips for beginners? Are there more tips we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here.