Players will be spending half of their time on the court inNBA2K22playing defense. Many players who like to push the ball up and score in transition will spend closer to 75% of their time playing defense. So the concept behind making a player who is bad at that end of the court is a recipe for a miserable time.
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So how do slashers, playmakers, and three-point shooters get better at locking opponents down if they need their primary focus to be on scoring? The answer is simple. With a few ofNBA 2K22’s defense/rebounding badges, players can instantly go from being liabilities to turnover generating monsters.
Updated on May 12th, 2022 by Hodey Johns:Almost every build should at least dabble in defense and rebounding. Pure defense is a perfectly acceptable way to play a character, while pure shooting, finishing, and playmaking are, frankly, left wanting. As a result, nearly every viable build is going to have a good amount of Defense/Rebounding badges. However, not every build needs the same badges and some will be a waste. To help readers, a subsection has been added for each entry that identifies what kind of player should grab the badge in question. That way, players can take the badges that are right for them. Also, a description has been added at the beginning of each section that states exactly how the badge functions.
12Ball Stripper
One of the improvements this year has been the effectiveness of swiping the ball against slashers. The move itself is not only successful more often, but the animations are quicker and more accurate. This is bad news for slashers and great news for defenders.
To maximize this advantage, get this badge and watch how the steals start to stack up against players driving or posting up. This can eliminate the paint as a safe area for an entire game, forcing opponents to take high-risk shots from the outside instead.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Ball Stripper Badge
Centers and forwards will be the most obvious beneficiaries of this badge since they’ll most often have to come crashing to help out. Guards that like to play the boards may also find this useful if they are the type to use their speed for a quick double team on a charging opponent.
11Pogo Stick
Pogo Stick is the badge that players like to pretend that they never need. They always act like it’s impossible to fake them out with a pump and they’ll never admit to misjudging the direction of a rebound. For those who live in the real world, Pogo Stick has some solid benefits.
The badge allows the player to jump again faster when they land, speeding up the overall animation and cutting down on the time flailing uselessly in the air. It’s good for getting back into position after missing a shot block or going for a rebound if the ball takes an odd bounce.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Pogo Stick Badge
Anybody who plays on the interior will find frequent use with this badge. Offensive post players will be putting up plenty of fake shots and it can be handy to get into position again quickly. It’s also good for an extra couple of rebounds each game for those who compete on the glass.
10Rim Protector
Getting dunked on is more than just embarrassing. It provides a bonus to the opponent’s takeover meter and that of their teammates. So reducing the odds of that happening, even if the layup is successful, is a silver lining during these plays.
Rim Protector cuts down on these posterizing plays and adds the benefit of increasing blocked shots.A dominant center buildwill always have at least one badge in this, sending balls into the stands against anybody who tries to score in the paint.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Rim Protector Badge
It is possible to block shots on the perimeter but it is not at all likely. Guards who are purely focused on defending against longer shots won’t need this. But anybody that wants to be a presence in the paint will want to pick it up.
9Rebound Chaser
When a shot is up, coaches don’t just want the big men to put their bodies on the glass, they expect the whole team to participate. Rebounds give offenses second chances to come away with points and are the leading method of ending an opponent’s turn on offense.
The Rebound Chaser badge helps players judge where an errant ball is going to land and has them jump in the correct direction.The best power forward buildwill need to grab some badges here if they hope to compete with centers also hunting for rebounds under the rim.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Rebound Chaser Badge
This is the single most important badge for rebounding and has a use for anybody who cares about that statistic. All forwards and centers should get it for sure, but guards that like to crash the boards instead of getting into transition should also consider it. The Rebound Chaser is a requirement for regular triple-double games.
8Post Lockdown
The post has been amped up this year after years of it being underwhelming. Now, it’s about too powerful, as players online are posting up and destroying opponents with fades and hooks. Because these moves can’t be conventionally blocked, eventhe best small forward designwill look foolish without some help from other players.
But getting assistance disrupts the defense and leaves other players wide open. Instead, try investing points in the Post Lockdown badge, which is a flat increase to defense all across the board against players who are abusing these new post moves.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Post Lockdown Badge
Guards can pass on this one. Forwards and centers should all consider taking it, especially with the improved animations and accuracy from the post this year. Even with all the other defensive badges, a center or forward that lacks this will become a total disaster against opponents that play from the post.
7Brick Wall
The post is so dominant this year that it will probably take two different badges to fully neutralize it. Brick Wall makes it harder for opponents to back down their defenders in the post, keeping them away from the basket.
This badge gives the best return on investment of all badges by throwing in two other benefits.
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It also drains the opponent’s stamina on physical content, which is a key to winning online matches against speedy teams. Lastly, it improves the effectiveness of screens, which is a hotly demanded function in every online and AI mode available.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Brick Wall Badge
This badge can destroy in online tournaments. Set a screen and get the best shooters open. Big men should consider it a mandatory badge in online play. For others, it’s still useful for MyCareer gamers that want to be a good team player. Also, anybody who regularly matches up against post opponents should grab this to neutralize opponents withthe best finishing badges.
6Pick Dodger
Screens are a core component to winning online games and that doesn’t appear to be ending this year. Most coordinated teams get the ball into the hands of their best shooter, set a screen, get them open, then have them take the open shot.
If players don’t have Pick Dodger, there isn’t any way to stop this. Teammates can trade coverage, but the offensive player can shoot from directly behind the screening player, so this is no solution. Pick Dodger allows players to end this go-to strategy.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Pick Dodger Badge
Especially in MyCareer, every position will have to deal with the pick, so everybody can use this. However, it’s most useful for guards since getting screened can mean giving up an easy three-point bomb to fellowincredible rookies.
5Pick Pocket
Experts love to show off their dribble moves, going for ankle breakers and cross-ups that leave all but the most studious defenders in the dust. Thankfully, the Pick Pocket badge enables players to simply swipe the ball away when one of these showoffs comes around.
This is important for point guards, but other positions actually stand to gain more from Pick Pocket. Because point guards tend to have the best ball protection skills, other positions have an easier time ripping the ball away.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Pick Pocket Badge
Before this year, the Pick Pocket was essentially a guard-exclusive badge. However, big men received boosts to statistical odds and animations when it comes to stripping the ball away, so those looking to swipe balls away against slashers to stop theirawesome dunk animationsbefore the resolve should also think about picking it up.
4Clamps
There are all kinds of boosts players can add to their speed. For example, the Downhill badge adds speed to an offense in transition. Because the defense has no such speed bonus, the faster team can potentially just dart by opposing defenses every time, even if the defenders have maximum speed attributes.
This is where the Clamps badge comes it. It stops players from getting around clean on the perimeter. They can try to drive in, but with enough points in this badge, a defender will remain squarely in the way of the basket.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Clamps Badge
The Clamps badge is good for guards with weaker defenses or slower speeds. Since they will lose any time that an opponent gets past them, the Clamps badge is necessary to cut down on those situations. It forces competitors to stay on the exterior and try to win with anideal custom jump shot, preventing easy looks from slashers.
3Interceptor
The Interceptor badge is incredibly useful against AIs who love to travel along their pre-scripted paths as much as possible. Defenders that see the pattern and get around the screens can grab an easy snag on a ball passed to this man that the algorithm mistakenly believes is uncovered.
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But it’s also dominant in online leagues too. Playmakers get loads of badges to pass better, faster, and more accurately. Players can neutralize these advantages with only the Interceptor badge when they stand in the passing lane.
What Kind Of Player Should Get The Interceptor Badge
To be in a position to swipe a passed ball in mid-flight, players will have to be fast, so this badge is only useful for faster players who can appear out of position and then quickly close the gap. It’s great against guards withsuperior dribble moveswho look for open teammates, only to find that the Interceptor badge is ready for such trickery.
