NBA 2K16 Freelance Info: OS Community "Wiki"

[CEOHaize]

What's a good freelance to use with the Bulls? I'm starting McDermott and Mirotic.

[J-Clutch1]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

What's a good freelance set to use for the Nets?

I would like to know this as well.

[MikeGiani]

Just wanted to clarify something.

So if I use this I don't have to call plays and when I bring the ball up depending on who has it and where they are on the floor this will trigger the action?

So I play as the knicks and If I dont want to change the playbook I can just do a freelance flow offense for whole game and never use any of the triangle plays?

[Kiyen]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeGiani

Just wanted to clarify something. So if I use this I don't have to call plays and when I bring the ball up depending on who has it and where they are on the floor this will trigger the action? So I play as the knicks and If I dont want to change the playbook I can just do a freelance flow offense for whole game and never use any of the triangle plays?

Yes that is correct. you would just have to make sure you change that freelance triangle to flow and you're all set for the whole game.

Sent from my SM-G900T1 using Tapatalk

[MikeGiani]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kiyen

Yes that is correct. you would just have to make sure you change that freelance triangle to flow and you're all set for the whole game. Sent from my SM-G900T1 using Tapatalk

Thanks.

Do you know where scrimmage mode is?

[Kiyen]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeGiani

Thanks. Do you know where scrimmage mode is?

On the opening screen you want to scroll all the way down to the bottom where it says features and options select this, and then on the very next screen it'll bring you to where it says 2ku/tutorial select this and you can scroll over to where it says scrimmage.

Sent from my SM-G900T1 using Tapatalk

[fifasar20]

I been working on a couple if these freelances. Been using pace and flow. I really like to mix it up during game.

Sent from my D6616 using Tapatalk

[LorenzoDC]

Freelance Offense: Triangle

Preferred Action (Motion Cuts, Freelance, Space the Floor): Motion cuts gives the most predictable action with neutral offensive focus. You can also alternate into Freelance action if you want to make the offense a little less predictable, especially if you want to couple that with Play Through your star player, such as Jordan or Carmelo.

Freelance Focus: The classic triangle was the prelude to motion offenses where the emphasis fell on movement to find the defense out of position for opportunistic baskets. Unlike Spurs and other more modern motion offenses, there is not constant motion, as some actions will only trigger with pauses by the ball handler, giving the ball handler time to work on his own, especially in the post. The philosophy emphasizes spacing and angles to generate, first off, shots from the post, then cuts to the basket, and lastly jumpers. While you can get looks for 3's in the offense, that is not the offense's primary focus.

Freelance Strengths: When it's operating well, it's really beautiful basketball. The triangle gives the defense a hard time deciding where to focus, because the ball will move and the actions in the offense are designed to take advantage of what the defense is giving you. While critics of the offense say it doesn't work without at least two scoring stars, what offense does work well without guys like that? Relative to pick and roll type offenses, the triangle does give more opportunities to get opportunistic baskets with guys who are not stud scorers, but who are getting to the basket in the right place at the right time while the defense focuses on primary scorers. The offense can operate and adapt to pressure with back door cuts to the hoop with pressure, and this year's version of it in 2K has more classic triangle pressure release actions built in to it.

Freelance Weaknesses: As mentioned before, the triangle will not maximize your personnel if you have two or three plus plus three point shooters in your lineup, especially a stretch 4. Also, the positioning in the offense can start to clog up the middle, so when your perimeter shooters are not really responding by drifting to the arc, in 2k, you can start to bog down a little and cough up some turnovers as the defense starts bumping and jumping your passing lanes. Scott OG's defense gets used to your passing lanes after a little while and when that happens in 2k you either have to 1) be much more patient to allow your players to make dynamic reads and opportunistic cuts in response to pressure or 2) switch out to another offense that spaces the floor better but still suits your personnel, such as 4 out or Pace if you have a good stretch 4 or 3-2 extended or 3-2 fist or something you like with a space the floor action setting.

Best Personnel Fit: In this offense all of your players can occupy any position on the floor to fill the offense's spacing requirements, so you want 4's and 5's who have decent hands and can pass the ball reasonably well. The offense helps to maximize the talents of mid range shooters, passers, cutters who can close at the rim and anyone with a good first step of acceleration. I wouldn't call it a pure athlete's offense as it is primarily a half court offensive philosophy that wants to use patience and the clock to get open shots, but it will reward high offensive IQ players who can read and react to defensive coverage, and that sudden burst quick step to generate surprise separation really helps.

Favorite Actions/Branches: There are a ton of branches and actions and sub branches in this year's triangle freelance, as Czar rebuilt the damn thing from scratch after last year's first effort. I don't really have pure favorite actions, though I will show some snippets that demonstrate some classic triangle actions below. The best thing I can recommend for people who want to succeed with it is to just get into scrimmage mode and start passing the ball with full play art activated. You will see all kinds of branches, actions and options once you initiate the offense with a class pass from the top to the wing. Keep doing that over an over, without even taking shots, just to get a feel for where the ball moves and how your teammates respond to ball movement and pauses in ball movement.


Initiating the Offense & Classic Floor Positioning

Spoiler

For info on the classic spacing and positions of the triangle, see this page. Here's a quick video showing classic triangle offense spacing in NBA 2k16 and how to initiate the offense in freelance with a pass to the wing. The classic start of the offense begins with this pass to the wing on the side of the court occupied by the low post player.



Also, in NBA 2k16, the triangle freelance will often prompt you to look first to hit the man in the low post right from the top of the key or as the ball handler crosses half court in the middle of the floor. This pass will not usually be open or safe but if it is there, triangle principles would say to make it for a high percentage low post shot.

If you choose not to make the pass the offense will begin as usual with a pass from the top of the key to the wing to set up the classic triangle options and motions.

First option: Feed the Post

Spoiler

In the classic start of the triangle, after feeding the ball to the wing, the first look is to the man in the high post. That player has the option to shoot or post up to score. At the same time, as shown in this clip, the passer will cut to the basket on one side of the man in the post and the man in the corner will cut up the baseline to the basket. The man in the post has the option to pass to either of these cutters for the layup. If he chooses none of the above, the weak side post player will curl around a pick set by the player who initially passed the ball to get open for a shot or a cut to the basket. That's the action shown in this clip.

Second Option: Swing to Top (Reversal)

Spoiler

The second main option for the triangle offense at the start of the offense is to reverse the ball back to the top of the key. This clip shows that in NBA 2K16. The player at the top of the wing can shoot the three or, as shown in this clip, pass the ball to the high post, continuing the reversal. The high post player can either shoot, make a move to the basket or pass back out to the cutting player who just passed him the ball, either to the corner for a 3 or cutting to the basket. That's the action shown in this clip.



Here's another possibility out of the reverse, determined by the weak side personnel and positioning. If a guard is positioned as the weak side wing, the AI may have him fill the wing position high, as in this clip. That will lead to this cut to the basket from the guard at the opposite side high wing.



Finally, here's a nice example of some dynamic decision making on offense following trangle principles off the pass reverse to the guard away from the post players. In this clip on after the reverse pass to the guard high on the wing, you can see the offensive players reacting to clogging and bumping to fill open spaces and create new options.

At :04 the ball is reversed, and then the palyer at the top of the key sets a curl screen at the foul line for the post player on the side opposite the ball. At the same time you can see the other high guard on the side away from the ball begin to fill space at the top of the key just vacated. He drifts back to the wing side as he sees the curl screen action down below and so vacates to create space for that action.

But at :06 the post player coming off the curl screen is bumped and the window for that action is lost. So he drifts toward the top of the key to swing around the ball side high for a handoff or pass to him cutting to the basket from the outside.

Third Option: Pass to the Weak Side Wing at the High Post and the Famous "Blind Pig"

Spoiler

One of the more famous play names in basketball, the "blind pig" becomes an option out of the third primary branch of the classic triangle, the pass to the weak side wing player at the high post foul line from the beginning of the offense.

In this clip, you can see that, as that pass is made, the player at the top of the key cuts to the basket for a quick pass from the ball handler at the foul line, looking for a layup. That's the "blind pig." It's a classic triangle play to combat the defense playing tight in an attempt to clog the triangle's passing lanes, following triangle pressure release principles.

In this clip, that pass is not really open so it isn't made. In 2k16, if the pass is not made, then the strong side guard at the wing will cut to the weak side foul line for a handoff and maybe an open shot or path to the basket. You can see that action in this clip.

Fourth Option: Feed the Corner

Spoiler

The fourth option when initiating the triangle offense from classic spacing is to get the ball to the corner, usually filled by the guard at the top of the key who will cut to that position after making the initial pass to the wing.

At that point, the guard can choose to shoot an open 3 if available or pass to the strong side wing cutting to the basket off a screen set by the low post player. If that's not open, the low post player will then come over to set a corner screen for the guard to try to make a move to the basket. The corner ball handler also has the option to pass the ball back up high to the wing or make a move to the basket to draw in the defense and then pass to either of two players positioned at the top of the key and the weak side wing.

You can see in this clip the corner ball handler is not open but makes a dribble move off the corner screen. The defense is playing tight and physical, and so the player at the top of the key makes an initial move to cut to the basket for a pass from the corner ball handler moving around the corner screen, but then stops as he is impeded by the defense. The weak side wing then provides the pressure release option for the pass back out to the wing where the offense can start again as players fill their triangle positions.

Some Other Fun Options

Spoiler

This clip shows two fun sets within the triangle freelance offense that demonstrate triangle principles and give the ball handler decisions to make based on a read of the defense.

The first is created at the :08 mark with a pass from the guard at the top of the key to the high post player who forms the triangle on the side with the wing and corner players.

Once he receives the ball, the high post weak side player will cut to the basket. The top of the key guard sets a screen for the wing player who cuts around the top to receive a pass at or above the foul line. The Guard who sets that screen will then fade to receive a pass for a three point shot. These are the three decision options open to the high post player who receives the ball.

The next set of options is created at the :15 mark with the pass from the foul line to the wing who forms the side triangle with the other post player and the corner man. Here, the triangle reforms and the guard can either pass to the weak side high post, reverse the ball to the guard on the other side, or pass the ball to the space being filled at the strong side wing. In this clip, the pass is to the high post, which initiates the pressure release action of the weak side guard cutting to the basket for an open shot at the rim.