Here’s How to Shoot in "NBA 2K Playgrounds 2" (If You Find Regular "NBA 2K" 2 Hard)

Boom-shaka-laka.

Look, the pro-style NBA 2K games aren’t for everyone. To really shine on the court, you need Jedi-like mastery to sink a perfect bucket, and a cool head to defend without fouling out.

But if you really love playing ball on your console, and just wish you could flagrantly knock over your opponents, or dunk indiscriminately, 2K Games have delivered the arcade experience you crave.

New release NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 abandons the arena and lets you play some blacktop two-on-two pickup with cartoonishly exaggerated versions of your beloved NBA stars of today and yesteryear.

It is—no disrespect—easy enough that a first-timer can pretty quickly pick it up and mash their way to victory.

However, though it carries over some of the buttons from 2K19, it has a different kind of shot meter. (Yes, again.) And understanding how it works will be the key difference between a minor victory and a major shellacking.

First of all, what buttons do I need to press?

As with the other NBA 2K games, you still need to hold and release the Square button on PS4 or X button on Xbox One, or pull back and release the right thumbstick to shoot.

To dunk, you need to be sprinting, so hold down the R2 on PS4 or R4 on Xbox One while driving to the ring and shooting.

(Controls for 2K Playgrounds 2 on Nintendo Switch and PC are incoming.)

Okay, great. Now tell me about this shot meter.

The previous Playgrounds wasn’t produced by 2K Games, so it’s no surprise that this 2K-developed sequel utilises a familiar meter when you begin shooting. Mercifully, this one doesn’t depend on too many mysterious factors as in 2K19.

To improve your chances of success, simply release the shot when you’re in the ‘green’ target area. If your player has high dunk or shooting stats (check your player cards, or work to upgrade them), the ‘green’ area will be larger.

If your stats aren’t so hot, the margin for success will be smaller. And if you’re attempting a highly contested half-court shot (or something ridiculous like it), the area for success will remain red or, if you’re lucky, orange.

Sure, this is the kind of game where you can basically do cartwheels in the sky before dunking, but timing and player placement still matters a bit.

When you release, you’ll see a percentage indicating how close to perfection you got. Please enjoy this escalating series of images, documenting my own struggles with this very simple premise.

Once you’ve figured this out (or maybe even beforehand) you’ll get the chance to take advantage of power-ups, earn perfect 4-pointers (yes, you read that correctly) and get multipliers on your score. But, if you’ve got a cold hand, your bucket will freeze over, and you’ll need to work hard to get rid of the ice before you’ll be able to score again.

Chilly.

NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is now available.

Read More:

How to Get Bonus VC in NBA 2K19

Here’s How to Shoot in NBA 2K19 (Because They Finally Fixed the Shot Bar)

Here’s How to Dunk in NBA 2K19 (Because You Came to Play)

Here’s How to Defend in NBA 2K19 (Because Admitting You Need Help Is the First Step)

Header Image: 2K Games