Those games are also known for taking far more measured approaches to upgrades. One of the things I think endeared many people to 2K is there kitchen sink/aggressive approach to adding new content on a yearly basis. Even dating back to NFL2K5 these same characteristics were present, where there was some issue(s) with what they were trying to implement but most of what they were doing was pushing the envelope and trying to deliver fresh experiences.
I have NBA2K15 but don't have my XB1 yet so can't comment on how pervasive the issues are. I play mostly offline and from what I've read the gameplay is the best ever, and the new franchise mode plays extremely well which is an accomplishment considering they added so much to it in a shortened development period. I do know some of the more vocal here will conflate issues to make an argument more on principle than an issue's actual impact (for example I don't know that VC was as big an issue as some here made it out to be), but don't want to minimize anyone's issues.
Perhaps the answer is for 2K to take a more incremental approach to upgrades. Personally I'd hate to see them change their approach as I think their aggressiveness and willingness to push the envelope is what sets them apart from other developers. Given that the game's only been out 2 days I think they'll iron out some of the online issues. Not excusing whatever issues people are experiencing as a result of online dependencies of course. I saw a thread where some of the issues are PS4-related; not sure how true/false that is.