Dude don't give up. I know its frustrating but once you go into every game with a specific scheme....everything becomes easier.
I felt the same way you did at first. Then i dug into some playbooks, labbed everything and came up with a few core plays and freelance sets that changed everything for me.
First of all:
1)
Do you have a Defensive Anchor on your team? This is very important because it helps your team play better on defense. I recommend Sapphire Kawhi.
2)
What type of offense do you run? And are you running plays? My offense is built around 3pt plays and post plays. If you can get open, you're gonna hit 70% of open shots. There are lots of good freelances this year and im amazed at the great job Da Czar did with them. If you can develop an actual offense and not that ADHD turbo style that most people play with, they wont know what to do. It's high level stuff.
3)
Take advantage of mismatches: If i see James Edwards at C on my opponent's team....im going to the post 80% of the game. His defense is terrible. But i know this because i study every player's ratings. If he has Diamond George Mikan.....im gonna PnR him to death. Just because some cards are diamonds don't mean they don't have weaknesses.
4)
Call timeouts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: I can't stress this enough. The momentum system in 2K17 is really beefed up this year for some reason. I can literally predict what will happen on the next possession once i see the momentum kick in. Not only do TOs kill their momentum....but it helps freshen up your players throughout the game. Fatigue really matters.
5)
Limit your turnovers at all costs: This year the transition defense is bad in a different way. Last year people could get straight to the hoop in transition....but now the 3pt shot is wide open 80% of the time on the fastbreak. I've seen it so many times. If my opponent turns the ball over....my SG and SF run straight to the corner 3. One outlet pass and its an easy bucket everytime.
Hang in there man. Everything will come together soon. I thought it was impossible to ever go undefeated in the higher leagues, but now i've done it twice and got 2 Amethyst reward players. I do like how 2K rewards us for actually playing the game now and winning. Most of my MT comes from league reward packs etc.
Try out the Mavs playbook. It's really my key to winning online. I play at a really slow pace and rarely take shots with more than 10 seconds left on the shot clock so it depends on your style. But this playbook has everything i could ever ask for in it. Some of the plays are extremely difficult to stop and most MTO players have no idea whats going on. Hang in there man.....im glad i did and I can say that "smart" or "sim" basketball does get rewarded.