Flourishing in the Frontcourt: Big Men in MyCareer - SteveM's Blog

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Flourishing in the Frontcourt: Big Men in MyCareer Stuck

Posted on May 2, 2013 at 12:25 PM.

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I have no scientific evidence to back this up, but I wouldn�t be surprised to find out that the majority of people playing MyCareer are guards, followed by small forwards, and then power forwards and centers. It would make sense: the game is easier to control and more satisfying�at least immediately�when you get to be the one calling the plays and handling the ball. But there are ways to tailor the game and adjust your approach to get the most out of playing in the frontcourt.

First of all, I�m not talking about stretch 4s and 5s here. I�m talking about players who dive for the basket on pick and rolls or who need to get the ball close to the basket. If you play this way, you�re reliant on the CPU to get the ball to you, and how you get it depends a lot on whether you have the CPU run plays or not.

With the �Run Plays� option on (which you unfortunately have to set at the main MyCareer menu and can�t change during games), the CPU will call plays and execute them based on your player participating in the play as drawn up. If you don�t like the play, you can hit the button usually used to call plays to change to a different play. (I�ve read conflicting things about your ability to call plays as an off-the-ball player. I�ve never been able to select a different set when playing off-the-ball�only ask that a seemingly random different play be run.)

One of the benefits of running plays is that it teaches you plays you can use in other modes of the game; I�ve found some of my favorite sets by running plays for MyPlayers on different teams. It also gives you something to structured to do on offense; if you don�t choose to run plays, you might find yourself running around trying to make something happen and not being able to trigger the CPU to follow your lead.

But on the flipside, it will leave you out of a lot of plays, especially as a PF or C. This is because the game still doesn�t do a very good job of understanding when you�ve completed a step of a play. This can lead to a lot of 3-second violations when you�re asked to head into the paint and then set a pindown screen. The physics in the game aren�t sophisticated enough to allow you to dance in and out of the paint the way that players do in real life; they will constantly step in and out of the paint with a clear awareness of how long they have before the whistle blows.

Plays working also relies a lot on the other, CPU-controlled players doing things correctly and that�s often not a safe bet. Many of the plays in the game take too long to run; if you�re playing as the PG, you�re likely to find a handful of plays that work and run them in concert with some freelance pick and rolls to good effect. As a PF or C, you�re at the mercy of the CPU�s often non-existent sense of what to call.

Choosing not to run plays allows you to freelance more. The CPU does a reasonably good job of understanding when a pick has been set and using it, but a less good job of dishing to you if you choose to roll to the hoop. This means you actively have to ask for the ball, which leads to a lot of �Bad Call for Pass� points getting taken off, even when it�s demonstrably not a bad time to call for a pass. Just try and remember that setting screens, on-ball or off-ball, is an easy way to make back those points.

If you�re going to freelance, it�s also worth spending some time working on the cuts you can execute with the right stick when you�re off the ball. If you hop into the Advanced Controls menu, you�ll see there are all kinds of different cuts you can make. In fact, there are almost too many options: more often than not, it�s hard to connect what you do with the right stick to a specific move or fake and move. But you should be able to tell pretty quickly whether it worked or not. When it does, it�s often a good time to call for that alley-oop.

The good news about the decision to run plays or not is that it�s not set in stone. Personally, I�ve found it more useful to not run plays early in your career. You can do more with a player with low stats than the computer can, so it can give you a chance to make the most of your limited minutes. As your player gets a bigger role on the team, turning plays back on is a good way to bring a little more variety to games, and you�ll see more plays called specifically for your player.

So how do you like to play as a PF or C? Do you do your best to fit into the offense or do you like to freelance?

Comments

# 1 HKPound @ May 2

Playing PF or Center is a pain for me at least. Only time I get the ball with a good look is off a pick and roll and those get spammy after a while. Had to switch to Small Forward

# 2 BreaksoftheGame @ May 2

My guess is 90% of the 4/5's in the NBA are complaining about the plays not ran for them too. Besides Memphis and Indiana not too many teams focus on power forward and center high low action.

# 3 Retropyro @ May 2

I have a PG & a Center. That said 85% of the time is spent playing as the PG.

# 4 tarek @ May 2

Although I didn't play 2K13 this year, I always used a C in 2k11 and 2k12. I found nothing more rewarding that just rebounding, blocking shots and setting picks. If I managed to get a putback dunk or a feed as I rolled for a dunk I was happy.
Averaging 8ppg, 14rpg and 2-3bpg is my idea of absolute fun in the myplayer mode.