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NBA 2K21 Builds

NBA 2K21: Best MyCareer Builds for Every Position

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

If you’ve ever spent a good amount of time playing online in the Neighborhood or Pro-Am, you know that a good build is necessary. But some builds are better than others, so I spent some time making a few in the new demo. Here are the best build for each position in NBA 2K21.

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Point Guard – Playmaking Shot Creator

NBA 2K21 Builds
Skill BreakdownPlaymaking & Shooting split
Physical ProfileHighest Speed
Set Your Potential2 Finishing, 22 Shooting, 22 Playmaking, 6 Def/Reb
Height6’3”
Weight170lbs
Wingspan75.0”
TakeoverShot Creator

You’ll want to choose the pie chart with the most yellow and green in it for this build. It’ll give you the most Playmaking and Shooting badges without one being too high or too low.

For the Physical Profile, simply choose the chart with the highest speed and acceleration, since that’s what you’ll be needing for the best Point Guard build in NBA 2K21. Strength and Vertical don’t matter here.

When setting your Potential, you’ll want to max out your mid-range and three-point shots, and your pass accuracy and ball handle first.

The rest of the points can be distributed depending on where you want more badges. I put a bit more in defense so that I wasn’t completely useless on that end. The image above should help as a guide.

Height should generally be between 6’2” and 6’4” for this build, and your Weight and Wingspan should be the lowest possible to add more points to Shooting.

Your Takeover in NBA 2K21 should be either Shot Creator or Playmaker for this build, depending on if you want to be more of a scorer or a passer that sets up teammates.

Shooting Guard – Sharpshooting Facilitator

NBA 2K21 Builds
Skill BreakdownMost Shooting
Physical ProfileHighest Speed
Set Your Potential1 Finishing, 30 Shooting, 14 Playmaking, 8 Def/Reb
Height6’5”
Weight175lbs
Wingspan83.4”
TakeoverSpot Up Shooter

Choose the pie chart with the most green, and the Profile with the highest speed for this one. This is pretty much a pure sharpshooter build with a decent amount of Playmaking and Def/Reb badges.

As for the Potential, you’ll want to put enough points into Shooting to get 30 badges. Then, fill up close shot, driving layup, pass accuracy, and ball handle. Put enough into Playmaking to get 14 badges.

The rest goes into Def/Reb so that you can defend other Shooting Guard builds well enough without getting torched every time down the court in NBA 2K21.

The Height, Weight, and Wingspan can be set to your preference in this one, as long as they don’t lower Shooting.

Small Forward – Slashing Playmaker

NBA 2K21 Builds
Skill BreakdownMost Playmaking
Physical ProfileHighest Speed
Set Your Potential3 Finishing, 9 Shooting, 25 Playmaking, 10 Def/Reb
Height6’6” or 6’7”
Weight220lbs
Wingspan84.3”
TakeoverPlaymaker or Lockdown Defender

For this one, you’ll want the pie chart with the most yellow in it as well as the Profile with the highest speed.

For the Potential, this NBA 2K21 build mostly focuses on Playmaking and Def/Reb, with a bit of Finishing and Shooting.

Firstly, you’ll want to max everything in the Def/Reb category, along with ball handle, mid-range and three-point shooting, and the top three categories in Finishing.

This should give you a ton of Playmaking badges with a good amount of Def/Reb and Shooting options.

The Height should be between 6’5” and 6’7”, depending on if you want a huge boost to Shooting and Finishing at the expense of Def/Reb. Weight should be low enough to get you to 90 Speed, but you can go lower if you want more than that.

And finally, you’ll want either the Playmaker, or Lockdown Defender Takeover for this NBA 2K21 build. Playmaker is better for iso players, while Lockdown is used for anyone who wants to shut down opponents.

Power Forward – Paint Beast

Paint Beast
Skill BreakdownMost Def/Reb
Physical ProfileAgility, Strength, Vertical all equal
Set Your Potential16 Finishing, 1 Shooting, 6 Playmaking, 30 Def/Reb
Height6’8” or 6’9”
Weight266lbs
Wingspan90.0”
TakeoverGlass Cleaner

You’ll want to pick the pie chart with the most Def/Reb for this build. The Profile with three equal parts will give you good stats for Vertical, Speed, Strength, and Acceleration.

When setting you Potential, you’ll first want to max out everything in Def/Reb, along with the first four attributes in Finishing. The rest goes into Playmaking, taking a few points from Def/Reb to get it up to six badges.

Changing the Height to 6’8” here can give you significant boosts to your Physicals and lateral quickness, but if you’re happy with the stats as they are, stick with 6’9”.

Increase you Weight until your Strength hits 92, then make your Wingspan the highest it can go to get insane boosts in Finishing and Def/Reb.

Lastly, go with the Glass Cleaner Takeover to become a monster on the boards. Any missed shot in NBA 2K21 will be yours with this build, and you’ll finish up the play, no problem.

Center – Glass-Cleaning Lockdown

Stretch
Skill BreakdownDef/Reb and Shooting split
Physical ProfileAgility, Strength, Vertical all equal
Set Your Potential5 Finishing, 19 Shooting, 1 Playmaking, 21 Def/Reb
Height6’9” or 7’0”
Weight265lbs
Wingspan91.0”
TakeoverGlass Cleaner or Rim Protector

For this final build, choose the pie chart that’s evenly split between Def/Reb and Shooting, along with the equally distributed Profile.

For your Potential, you’ll want to max out the Shooting and Def/Reb attributes first. Then, start filling up Finishing, taking some points from Def/Reb to get it to five badges.

You can either leave your Height as is, or set it to 6’9” to get a boost in Shooting stats. Set you Wight to 265lbs to get some interior defense points, too.

Wingspan should be the maximum if you want some Def/Reb points, but you can set it to the minimum to get another Shooting boost.

The Takeover is honestly up to you on this one. Pick whichever one you like more between Glass Cleaner and Rim Protector.

It’s a lot, but that’s everything you need to know about which build is best for each position in NBA 2K21. If you’ve already decided to get the game based on the trailers and the demo, you can pre-order it here.


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Author
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Ethan Anderson
Ethan was formerly Deputy Guides Editor at Twinfinite, having worked at the site from 2019 to 2022. A lover of anime, RPGs and all things Genshin Impact, Apex Legends, Zelda, Pokémon, Dragon Age, or Tales related. He can usually be found either struggling/failing to get 100% completions, or praying for a Jak 4.
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