How to Be Better at NBA 2K20: 10 Pro Tips That Actually Work

Let me be honest with you—when I first picked up NBA 2K20, I thought my years of watching real-life basketball would easily translate into virtual dominance. Boy, was I wrong. It took me losing five straight games in the MyCareer mode before I realized that raw talent alone doesn’t cut it. That’s when I started studying players like Ishikawa, the 29-year-old captain of Ryujin Nippon, whose decorated sporting resume isn’t just for show. His approach to the game—both in real life and, by extension, in how we can model our virtual play—reveals a lot about what separates casual gamers from elite competitors.

One of the biggest mistakes I see newcomers make is ignoring player roles. Take Ishikawa, for example. As a key scoring weapon, he doesn’t just wait for opportunities; he creates them through positioning and anticipation. In NBA 2K20, that means understanding your player’s strengths, whether you’re a sharpshooter like Stephen Curry or a defensive anchor like Rudy Gobert. I’ve found that adjusting my gameplay to mimic real-world strategies—like using off-ball screens or exploiting mismatches—can boost my scoring efficiency by at least 15-20%. And let’s talk about defense. It’s not just about spamming the steal button. Ishikawa’s leadership on the court reminds me that communication and positioning matter. By holding the right trigger lightly instead of aggressively, I reduced my fouls per game from 4.2 to just 1.8. Small tweaks, huge impact.

Another area where I’ve seen massive improvement is in mastering shot timing. At first, I relied on the game’s visual cues, but that only got me so far. Then I started paying attention to player-specific releases. For instance, Ishikawa’s real-life shooting form—smooth and consistent—translates well into finding a jump shot animation in 2K that suits your style. I spent hours in the Pro-Am mode testing different releases and settled on a blend of Damian Lillard’s base and Klay Thompson’s upper release. The result? My three-point percentage jumped from 31% to nearly 48% in online matches. And don’t even get me started on playmaking. As a point guard, I used to over-dribble, but studying how Ishikawa distributes the ball taught me to prioritize assists over flashy moves. In my last 10 games, I averaged 12.5 assists, up from just 6.3 earlier.

Of course, none of this matters if you’re not leveraging the game’s mechanics wisely. I’m talking about things like managing fatigue—something Ishikawa clearly excels at given his endurance in real matches. In 2K, I make sure to sub out my MyPlayer when the stamina bar dips below 40%, which has reduced turnovers by almost 30%. And let’s not forget badges. Allocating badge points strategically, rather than evenly across all categories, transformed my player from a jack-of-all-trades to a specialist. For example, focusing on "Clamps" for defense and "Range Extender" for shooting made me a nightmare matchup in the Park. Honestly, I wish I’d known this sooner; it would’ve saved me from so many frustrating losses.

At the end of the day, getting better at NBA 2K20 isn’t about grinding mindlessly. It’s about thinking like a pro—someone like Ishikawa, who combines skill with strategy. Whether you’re tweaking your jump shot or learning when to pass instead of shoot, the little details add up. I’ve gone from a sub-.500 player to consistently competing in the upper tiers, and it’s not because I have lightning-fast reflexes. It’s because I stopped playing the game like a video game and started playing it like basketball. And trust me, once you make that mental shift, you’ll see the wins pile up.