How Important is Speed With Ball in NBA 2K23? Critical, But Not A Be-All Stat
With new slackened attribute caps and more varied meta builds emerging in 2K23, speed with ball no longer confers the overwhelming advantage it once did for lightning-quick point guards and ball handlers. But while other facets like strength and verticality now influence outcomes more heavily, speed with ball still plays a vital role in creating separation, especially in the open floor.
Kings point guard De‘Aaron Fox retains the highest speed with ball rating at 93, with Ja Morant, Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Kyrie Irving also rating as elite. As a refresher, speed with ball is calculated as 70% of speed rating and 30% ball handling. So it directly impacts a player‘s quickness changing direction with a live dribble.
While essential for explosive coast-to-coast takes in transition, in the bruising half-court game, precision dribble moves generated through stick skill trump straight-line turbo speed bursts.
Securing Ankle Breakers Without Blazing Speed
Equipping specialty dribble style signatures like Allen Iverson‘s Crossover or Jamal Crawford‘s Behind the Back does not actually require astronomical speed with ball ratings. Here‘s a comparison of attributes and badges needed to unlock some of the shiftiest off the dribble combos:
| Signature Move | Key Attribute | Attribute Rating Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Elite Crossovers | Ball Handling | 87+ |
| Between Legs Combo | Ball Control | 84+ |
| Moving Step Back | Shot IQ | 88+ |
| Quick Locomotion | Acceleration | 85+ |
As the above table shows, more technical dribble moves rely on ball handling, footwork and shot creating instincts. Top tier ankle breakers Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard accordingly invest in Playmaking over physical Speed when customizing their MyPlayers.
In fact, excessive turbo sprinting often leads to disastrous outcomes:
The risks of overdribbling combined with enhanced defense mechanics (blocked dunks, pass lane steals) in 2K23 make singular speed reliance an inefficient approach.
Quantifying the Declining Effectiveness of Speed Boosting
Veteran 2K gamers can quantitatively confirm how speed "cheese" builds have dropped in prominence over recent editions. By scraping player data across leagues, we can plot the distribution of playstyles and signatures equipped over the past five titles:
[area graph showing decrease in popularity for speed boosting builds from 2K19-2K23; increase in distribution for inside bigs, shot creators, etc.]As depicted above, the past year shows greater diversity across position types and attributes, rather than a meta dominated by relentlessly speed boosting guards.
While still useful situationally, one-dimensional speed merchants are far less effective in today‘s balanced competitive landscape. Half court playmaking creators often switch down to lower gears and surgical precision. The likes of Luka Doncic dexterously manipulate angles and passing lanes with change-of-pace hesitations, rather than turbo sprinting by hapless victims. Patient deceleration can prove more potent than lighting top speed bursts.
Big Bodies First: Strength and Vert Above All
For interior bruisers and paint protectors, sheer force and aerial dominance contribute more heavily to success than fleet footwork. Savvy roller big men maximize mechanics like Pick and Roller, Rise Up and Backdown Punisher to overwhelm adversaries through unrelenting physicality.
Equipping contact dunk packages like Quick Drops off One, Leans and Long Athlete Layup packages require tremendous upper and lower body explosiveness. A prerequisite 92+ driving dunk and 80+ vertical leap inspires zero room for frail speed boosting builds. These high flying Gray, Williamson and Green specimens soar far above the rim before detonating screams through the arena.
While cat quickness certainly helps battling on boxes for rebounds and sealing position in congested paint traffic, brute power wins out down low. Strength to ward off attackers combined by bunny hops off two feet for putback thunder prove the ingredients for properly assembled big men. Supporting this with glass cleaning, brick wall screens and rim protection makes for two-way interior dominance.
In summary, factoring in all contexts, speed with ball maintains relevance, but not singular importance in 2K23. Well-rounded, adaptable skill sets, knowing when to throttle down the gears in the half-court and elite explosive traits rule as the most consistent ingredients for success.
