NBA 2k18 Freelance Offense Thread

[ArtieFartie72]

Quote: Originally Posted by LorenzoDC

Make sure you are not in "Space the Floor" as your tactical setting. Be in motion cuts or scoring actions. Make an entry pass to to get things started. Of you are holding the ball at the top of the key, pass to a the post in horns. In other sets, pass to the wing. If you're on the wing, pass to the top. Getting the actions to begin often requires making an initial pass to start the offense. Of course, go to your settings and make sure you have you play art set to full and set to display for all plays.

have them set to motion cuts or scoring actions, play art is always set to full so i can see what's supposed to happen. i've tried passing it into the high post to get things moving but maybe i'm not going the next step to the wing or the other big...i'll just keep fiddling with it

[ArtieFartie72]

Figured it out...i didn't have any scoring type selected, so the players didn't know what i wanted to do...(shooters open, PNR, etc)...once i did that, it was like Oprah showed up....You get a branch and you get a branch and you get a branch....EVERYONE gets a branch!

[loso_34]

Are there any pistol plays for early offense In this game or ways to activate it on the break?

[DRN73]

Alright, so do any of you guys have any tips for running a fluid, constant motion offense?

I feel like just running the freelances themselves tend to be a bit predictable, with not enough branches and actions to realistically run over a 48 minutes per game. Is running multiple different freelances the solution?

Is manual playcalling the way to go? I know a few plays that I like running, but I feel that manually calling them is sometimes a bit slow, and things get "clunky" on the court with players setting them up. Is it a matter of choosing plays that have players in position to run after a freelance branch?


I have no idea if this post will make sense to anyone but me. Basically, I just want to run some realistic offense that is as close to fluid and smooth as you can get to real life.

Thanks in advance guys.

[LorenzoDC]

Quote: Originally Posted by DRN73

Alright, so do any of you guys have any tips for running a fluid, constant motion offense? I feel like just running the freelances themselves tend to be a bit predictable, with not enough branches and actions to realistically run over a 48 minutes per game. Is running multiple different freelances the solution? Is manual playcalling the way to go? I know a few plays that I like running, but I feel that manually calling them is sometimes a bit slow, and things get "clunky" on the court with players setting them up. Is it a matter of choosing plays that have players in position to run after a freelance branch? I have no idea if this post will make sense to anyone but me. Basically, I just want to run some realistic offense that is as close to fluid and smooth as you can get to real life. Thanks in advance guys.

If you try to take one offensive approach for a whole game against the CPU at All Star or above you'll find that stuff that worked early in the game starts to get shut down. You have to change things up.

Changing your freelance from motion cuts to scoring actions helps a little, as does changing to a different freelance all together, as long as you are comfortable with more than one system and whetever you pick fits your personnel.

But the big thing is I highly, highly recommend you change things up with plays. This takes time and practice on your part to know your plays and your play book, know how to quickly get through your players' play menus to find the play you want to run quickly, and select your play as soon as possible once you get possession of the ball before you cross half court.

The player movement system is a lot better this year so that plays come together faster, but if you wait until you cross half court and everyone is set in the freelance spacing and then you call a play with 18 or 17 seconds on the shot clock, you're not doing yourself any favors.

I recommend just clearing out a playbook and then putting in a short number of plays you choose that you can pretty much memorize that fit your players. Practice these plays in the play practice mode, and during team practice scrimmage modes.

It takes some time and learning but it pays off. It's a very rewarding way to play the game and get the most out of what's in it, and when you mix in plays alongside freelance, you will definitely see little boosts and bursts on your offensive efficiency.

Star out with a simple play book of maybe 4-6 PnR plays, and then 2 of each of other play types you like. Play with those and feel like you know them and know how your players perfom with them, in different lineups and combinations.

As you get comfortable with that you can start to add in some more in small doses. You' also notice how some plays are really good for creating looks outside of their category. For example, there's a cutter play, I think it's call Cut 23, that is great for generating corner 3 point looks early in the shot clock for your shooting guard coming off a double screen when you call it for a forward or your center.

Stuff like that comes later. Just star small with building your own playbook, ideally with plays that fit in concept with the spacing you like for your favorite freelance. That will make the transition to starting a play faster as your players find their positions.

Hope that helps.

[DRN73]

Quote: Originally Posted by LorenzoDC

*snip*

Just now seeing this, but thanks for this. Really helps get me going in the right direction.

I want to run an offense with a good amount of motion, cutting, off ball screens, etc. Warriors or Nuggets esque. Any ideas for where to start? Which freelance to try first?

Thanks again.

[LorenzoDC]

Quote: Originally Posted by DRN73

Just now seeing this, but thanks for this. Really helps get me going in the right direction. I want to run an offense with a good amount of motion, cutting, off ball screens, etc. Warriors or Nuggets esque. Any ideas for where to start? Which freelance to try first? Thanks again.

I can't say I know them all well, but I encourage you to poke around on your own to find what you like.

That said, I use Warriors a lot for my personnel, and tend to use scoring options more than motion cuts because I think it's deeper, gives more variety and is more responsive to dynamic, changing conditions on the floor as a possession develops and maybe a play I called breaks down due to good defense.

I also think Flow would be good for what you're looking for. I sometimes also switch to Hawks for lineups with less perimeter shooting and I want to see some cuts to the basket against very physical defense that may be overplaying my guys tight outside.

Good luck!

[RyanFitzmagic]

Is there a way to keep Motion Cuts running when I feed the ball into the post (either high or low)? I might be missing something, but every time I'm in the post, the actions stop. I want to be able to make passes out of the post without calling a set play.