I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

[itchyroll_51]

Hey OS ! Sam Pham needs help here >_<

The following video is my online gameplay from my Road to the Playoffs for myTeam. I played some terrible on-ball defense throughout the game... Take a look at from 00:30-1:00, i sucked ....Please let me know what i am doing wrong....

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xDib_X_wc7Y" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>


After seeing my gameplay footage (in terms of on ball D) can anyone out there please give me some pointers ? I can't do any of the stuff i do on-ball offline while being online.... It feels so weird... I normally play with defensive assist at 15, is that my problem online ? Any pointers would be appreciated ^_^ I know i won that game but i want to improve on my online on-ball d BADLY, i don't think i will survive with on-ball D like that in the higher rounds >_<

[Aling Pining]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

sorry man, but there is no pointers on playing on ball d online. It's broken,simple as that. No amount of defensive assist setting and feathering the stick can help on unresponsive controls.
I stop playing online because of this issue.

[smush]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

Im not sure about my team but online ranked on ball defense is really good imo im balling with the on ball D.

I mostly just use the left stick, force baseline and have help come off non stars because there shot fatigue kicks in early.

Might be easier if i post some gameplay so ill try and get some.

[Pokes404]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

The main thing I will say is that, judging from a few mins of gameplay, it looks like you're attempting to take everything away, and that's an extremely difficult thing to do against a competent player. You need to either get up and be physical on the ball handler so he doesn't have the room to yo-yo you into a crossover. Or, you need to be selling out to stop the drive. You risk giving up the drive with the former, and the pull up jumper with the latter, but you need to dictate to the offensive player what he's going to do and challenge the shot/drive as best you can. If you give him the option of either, you'll be scrambling all game long.

Also, it looks like you're sliding straight left and right trying to cut off the drive. If you can do that, then great. However, this is very hard to do, and you pretty much just have to keep guessing correctly to make this kind of defense work. Once you guess wrong, it's over. What you need to think about when your guy starts making a move is to RETREAT and slide to where the ball handler is going. Use angles to your advantage. Now, if he starts pulling up and hitting jumpers, then you'll have to adjust. But long jumpers are better than layups. I prefer to make my opponents prove that they're willing to take and make those shots first.

After that, it's all about learning your opponents tendencies and adjusting. People typically have a certain style that they want to play. If a guy likes to drive, force him to prove that he'll shoot some pull up dribbles. If a guy wants to shoot jumpers, over play him on the perimeter until he proves that he can drive the paint. And when you play someone who mixes up their style and adjusts to whatever you're doing on defense, well, sometimes you just have to tip your cap to your opponent.

Lastly, any time there's an on-ball screen, always, always, always send the ball handler into the pick. Whenever an on-ball screen is called, your defense is setting up to stop the pick-n-roll. If you let him cross you up and go the other way, you're sending him away from all of your help. The trick is to put yourself in the best position possible to fight over the screen, while making sure that the offensive player can't cross back over the other way.

At the end of the day, defending online is very challenging. Hopefully some of these suggestions help, but I may not be saying anything that you didn't already know.

[itchyroll_51]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

The main thing I will say is that, judging from a few mins of gameplay, it looks like you're attempting to take everything away, and that's an extremely difficult thing to do against a competent player. You need to either get up and be physical on the ball handler so he doesn't have the room to yo-yo you into a crossover. Or, you need to be selling out to stop the drive. You risk giving up the drive with the former, and the pull up jumper with the latter, but you need to dictate to the offensive player what he's going to do and challenge the shot/drive as best you can. If you give him the option of either, you'll be scrambling all game long.

Also, it looks like you're sliding straight left and right trying to cut off the drive. If you can do that, then great. However, this is very hard to do, and you pretty much just have to keep guessing correctly to make this kind of defense work. Once you guess wrong, it's over. What you need to think about when your guy starts making a move is to RETREAT and slide to where the ball handler is going. Use angles to your advantage. Now, if he starts pulling up and hitting jumpers, then you'll have to adjust. But long jumpers are better than layups. I prefer to make my opponents prove that they're willing to take and make those shots first.

After that, it's all about learning your opponents tendencies and adjusting. People typically have a certain style that they want to play. If a guy likes to drive, force him to prove that he'll shoot some pull up dribbles. If a guy wants to shoot jumpers, over play him on the perimeter until he proves that he can drive the paint. And when you play someone who mixes up their style and adjusts to whatever you're doing on defense, well, sometimes you just have to tip your cap to your opponent.

Lastly, any time there's an on-ball screen, always, always, always send the ball handler into the pick. Whenever an on-ball screen is called, your defense is setting up to stop the pick-n-roll. If you let him cross you up and go the other way, you're sending him away from all of your help. The trick is to put yourself in the best position possible to fight over the screen, while making sure that the offensive player can't cross back over the other way.

At the end of the day, defending online is very challenging. Hopefully some of these suggestions help, but I may not be saying anything that you didn't already know.

Sir this stuff is gold ^_^ (Sam Pham fist dap)

I will learn it and apply it to my online game. Thanks man

[jaateloauto]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

Much in this game goes out the window online when you really don't have much control over your player's actions as they are hugely delayed. Trying to stay in front of even a slightly moving player is a challenge, especially on PS4 as I've discovered. I don't often play on-ball as I feel it's just guesswork with the lag. I had better experiences on PC but I haven't bought that version yet..

The first seeds in MyTeam the difficulty is on pro or something to that effect which means retreating to give some space for a jumper is not going to work out most of the time.

Then there's the pick & roll game. My recommendation is to always use the roll defender as you have more control over what's going to happen. Alternatively you can also play ice (force defender away from the screen).

And pretty much the only good bronze center is Nazr Mohammed. Maybe Rudy Gobert to a lesser extent.

[ILLSmak]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

Hey OS ! Sam Pham needs help here >_<

The following video is my online gameplay from my Road to the Playoffs for myTeam. I played some terrible on-ball defense throughout the game... Take a look at from 00:30-1:00, i sucked ....Please let me know what i am doing wrong....

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xDib_X_wc7Y" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>


After seeing my gameplay footage (in terms of on ball D) can anyone out there please give me some pointers ? I can't do any of the stuff i do on-ball offline while being online.... It feels so weird... I normally play with defensive assist at 15, is that my problem online ? Any pointers would be appreciated ^_^ I know i won that game but i want to improve on my online on-ball d BADLY, i don't think i will survive with on-ball D like that in the higher rounds >_<

Back up more. You want to be close enough to run into the shooter and get your hand up. So, if you see them start to raise up, just run at them because even if they are pump faking, you are still going to catch into a contact animation.

Otherwise, you have to guess or learn the player. Give up points early then learn tendencies. You are pressing the stick too hard. There is actually a bubble kind of around your player that will make it so they have to go a lot wider around you than you might think, so staying centered is better than trying to wiggle back and forth.

-Smak

[coached17]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

I'm still not very good at D, but I'm getting better.

It still seems like offensive players move at a BLUR compared to defensive ones.

I've found doing LESS on defense seems to help. What I mean is that I just use the left stick, with occasional slides with the right stick...not much L2/intense D...and only occasional square buttons when I have an opportunity...and very little triangle.

The Left stick seems so sensitive on defense. It seems like you need a surgeon's touch to really control your guy.

Of course, with that said...alot of that goes out the window if we're talking about the early rounds of RTTP where the difficulty is lower and its harder to stop offensive players who move like they are wearing jet packs.

[Pokes404]

Re: I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

I'm still not very good at D, but I'm getting better.

It still seems like offensive players move at a BLUR compared to defensive ones.

I've found doing LESS on defense seems to help. What I mean is that I just use the left stick, with occasional slides with the right stick...not much L2/intense D...and only occasional square buttons when I have an opportunity...and very little triangle.

The Left stick seems so sensitive on defense. It seems like you need a surgeon's touch to really control your guy.

Of course, with that said...alot of that goes out the window if we're talking about the early rounds of RTTP where the difficulty is lower and its harder to stop offensive players who move like they are wearing jet packs.

I agree with the "less is more" approach on defense. Very little square and triangle use for me, and I try not to move the left stick all the way in a certain direction until I know for sure that my man is going that way. However, I've never had any luck playing defense without using L2 (in combination with turbo when I need to slide even faster). I know others who swear by only using the left stick though. Guess it comes down to whatever method you feel allows you have better control over your player.

One other thing I will add is that I use the R-stick a lot. Whenever I'm attempting to stop the drive, I'll sag back while holding the R-Stick to keep a hand up. Not only does this allow me to get somewhat of a contest on a potential pull up jumper, but it also keeps your player from sliding out of control when you move the L-stick. Now, be warned, you're slower while doing this. I do this only when I'm intent on stopping the drive. If you're doing this way out on the perimeter, your man is going to have the room to blow by you. This method helps me when I'm defending the midrange (possibly right on the 3 point line if the guy I'm defending isn't too quick).

[Svengali]

I Need Help Playing On-Ball Defense Online

A tip I got from a Youtube vid has helped me a bit. Holding the left trigger while quickly tapping the right trigger and moving the left stick backwards diagonally to where the guy is trying to drive to will cut him off and cause contact a lot of the time.