NBA Playgrounds: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Make Sure That Your Team Is Balanced

NBA Playgrounds: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

As you open packs by leveling up, your roster of ballers in NBA Playgrounds will grow. There will be standard players, epic players, and legend players, all with different stats and qualities. Each player will have a ranking between one and ten for a number of skills, including dunking, 3-pointers, stealing, and stamina. The numbers are color coded so that you know if a player is good at certain moves, making it is easy to compare players to create your most effective pairing.

Once you have worked out which players are the best, you need to put together a pairing that works well. The two players need to compliment each other and the pairing needs to be balanced. Therefore, I would recommend choosing one player that has strong defensive stats, and one that has strong shooting stats, while making sure they aren’t terrible in the opposite categories. You should choose one baller that is good at blocking, stealing, and has good stamina, and the other should have good 2 and 3-point ratings and good speed. You will then be able to use each player at the right time when on the court, moving the ball to the attacking player when trying to score.

Take Advantage of Your Players’ Strengths

NBA Playgrounds: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Once you have decided on a pairing that works well together, you need to take advantage of their individual strengths on the court. Say you have a defensively minded player that is good at blocking and has high stamina; make the effort to ensure he is the one that is in the best position to block shots, rather than the more attack-minded baller. The same is true for the opposite skills. Try to shoot with the player that has nine out of ten for 2-pointers, rather than the player that has two out of ten. It sounds simple but it will lead to you sinking a higher percentage of your shots.

Also, remember which of your players are good at things like 3-pointers and dunking. If you have a player that has a free shot from three-point range, go for it, because you’ll likely score and get ahead on the scoreboard. You should also attempt alley-oops with players that have high dunking stats to build your Lottery Pick bar as fast as possible.

Take Advantage of Extra Point Opportunities

NBA Playgrounds: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Getting possession of the ball at the start of a match is vital as it gets you ahead early and the extra point ensures that the other team is constantly playing catchup. Sink a three-pointer and you’ll have at least four points on the board immediately. Then, for the rest of the match, take advantage of extra points whenever you can.

When you get the flaming ball from the lottery pick, always go for a three pointer because it is guaranteed to go in the basket and you want to maximize your points whenever you can. If you get the power up that doubles dunk points, go for alley-oops to get a minimum of four points each time. Also, pay attention to which player in your pairing is good at three-pointers and try them whenever if it feels like a good opportunity to do so. Taking advantage of extra point opportunities from the start gets you ahead and leaves the opposition chasing you in every match in NBA Playgrounds.

Only Use Push As a Last Resort

NBA Playgrounds: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Pushing in NBA Playgrounds is powerful but has its downsides. Yes, it’ll knock the player off the ball and you might be able to turn over possession, but it can set you back in other ways that will cost you points. Pushing uses almost an entire stamina bar, which means you won’t be able to sprint if your pair gets the ball, nor will you be able to attempt to steal the ball if your push is unsuccessful.

Pushing also significantly depletes your lottery pick bar, keeping you away from any power-ups that might help your score. You should reserve pushing for when you are behind on points, to get back in the game, or have just started building your lottery pick bar again after using a power-up. Using it any other time can be more of a hindrance than a help, no matter how overpowered it seems at the time.

Use Alley-Oops Whenever You Can

NBA Playgrounds: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Alley-Oops aren’t easy to pull off in NBA Playgrounds and you’ll often have to resort to frantically pressing the required button until your player goes for one. However, they not only look cool, they can also be incredibly helpful. Alley-Oops fill up nearly 50 percent of your lottery pick bar for each one you land, so you’ll have the chance to use a power-up after scoring just twice.

They are especially useful when you unlock the later game lottery picks that can multiply your shots’ points and see you earn up to 12 points for a single basket. Racking up points from power-ups can put you miles ahead in a match and you’ll be winning those tournaments easily. They may be tricky, but you should be attempting to pull off alley-oops whenever you can in NBA Playgrounds.