Inside Layups and the Cleanliness of the 2K Bank Shot

[VDusen04]

I was originally going to post this as a response in another thread but began to think it might be a worthwhile topic to discuss at large. I do not pass my opinion off as fact here, and I missed 2K14, but many clips seem to suggest the issue that's been consistent with the series for years, still remains.

I think this could be seen more as a 2K legacy nit-pick than anything else, but I feel inside lay-ups with little or no forward momentum (like big man finishes) could still look and operate a lot smoother than they currently do. It seems 2K's moving in the right direction (because they used to be worse) but still, they're awfully stiff and floaty.

My first example is at the 2:39 mark, when Chris Bosh pokes the ball and has an open layup at the rim. His momentum spasms away from the hoop a little, but he's still in great position. I think in that instance, the layup animation itself seems slow, and for as high as Bosh is in accordance to the rim, he seems to put the ball a lot higher off the glass than most 7 foot centers would in that situation (it touches above the white square). As a result, what should be a sure thing gimmie, instead looks unnecessarily difficult.



The second example occurs shortly thereafter, at the 3:10 mark. I do not feel a close layup animation of that nature should feature a big man drifting away from the hoop while attempting an off-hand hook shot off the high glass (again, the attempt hits well above the square and manages to rub home).

In short, when players in real life are uncontested at the rim (i.e. they're not at risk of being blocked), they usually opt not to try shooting their layups off the high glass. Moreover, players, when open, will opt to get to the rim, as opposed to falling away.

Lastly, I may catch flak for this, but sometimes it seems like there's not enough clean bank shot finishes in 2K. That is, it seems on the vast majority of banks, whether from 20 feet or wide open at 2 feet, the ball tends to hit the board, then clank off the rim and bounce home. Bank swishes, so to speak, seem largely unaccounted for in many instances in 2K (and bank grazes, where the ball goes through mostly clean with just a touch of rim). It might sound silly, but I really think that could help with the fluidity of those layups I referenced above (on top of players getting to the rim and not high arching every open layup).

What feels like a standard 2K bank, from 20 feet or on many open layups:



An example of a clean bank:



In 2K, the clean banks seem to be an awfully tough get from anywhere on the floor. Shots that should be sure things, sometimes develop a ping pong feel to them, as if they're not so sure afterall. Whereas, even at the high school level, open layups (and many contested) often tend to be precise, within the white square, and clean going through.

Maybe I'm wildly off base. And if this is more of a wishlist thing, then I apologize. It's just been a relatively rigid part of 2K for a while I feel some positive alterations could go a long way toward smoothing out this aspect of the inside game.

[Sundown]

Speaking of bank layups, it'd be nice to see high-glass banks and layups from smaller players when contested based on tendencies. We don't see many high glass banks from the baseline.

[ImaFreeThinker]

Nice post...The problems are even MORE FUNDAMENTAL than that though...How about all of those layups where the offensive player, instead of laying it up on the open side of the basket, opts to basically handoff the ball to the defender on the other side of the rim?

What about the C-grade center who loses the ball every time he gets bumped or any defender is close?...Even if the bump is from a guard? It goes on and on w/ contact problems in the paint.

What about the highly offensive graded guard that isn't a tremendous finisher at the rim, yet makes all kinds of hard contact layups and and 1's? 2K really needs to look at WHERE high scorers are effective, and stop ignoring contact down low on their drives.

[VDusen04]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sundown

Speaking of bank layups, it'd be nice to see high-glass banks and layups from smaller players when contested based on tendencies. We don't see many high glass banks from the baseline.

Good call. And to tie in, it'd be nice to see some of the high glass banks drop cleanly through the net as well.

To get really specific, I think my eyes and brain may have an issue with the type of rim contact certain shots bring about. For instance, on breakaway layups in 2K (or otherwise very sure finishes at the rim), I mentioned the popcorn rim interactions that seem common in 2K. Even if we've learned that certain layups will always eventually go down (aforementioned breakaways with no contest), the manner with which they sometimes bounce up and around the rim makes us think that the execution was a little dicey and imprecise, as if we were on the edge of missing.

Instead, the more common finish in real life in that situation is either super clean with zero rim contact:



or contact is made with the rim, but mostly on the way down and still leaving little doubt that the shot was going in:



In 2K, sometimes it seems we're constantly benefiting from lucky bounces that should have never been bouncing in that manner in the first place.

[Kaanyr Vhok]

I'm ok with the Bosh example. It looked like the user jiggled back giving Splitter a moment to recover and force a tougher shot.

[HUSTLER_79]

I noticed this today wenn I made a ln athletic center with inside on 85 and everytime I got the ball under the rim or near it and I was all alone there was some lagg occuring or even a back peddle step to make the defende catch on to that sequence to make my shot tougher its annoying in real life anyplayer would go ip instantly and bank it or even lay it in but 2k got this forcefield in their programming ..its just there to keep offense and defense in some sort of sequence ..its wack but its the way it is ..those swift non animated shots is what I would love to see like catch go up instantly .