NBA 2K19: MyTeam Top Players (Offensive and Defensive)

When it comes to creating your team, the obvious choice is to put the highest rated players in every position. Individual play in MyTeam games is important, as you will not always be able to tailor them to your specific liking.

Having strong individuals also means that, no matter what play you make them run, either on defense or offense, they will always have an upper hand even if that play is not their strong suit. On the flip side, the strong plays that they excel in will be executed at a much stronger and smoother place than any other players, as that is their forte. 

While gathering the top players through packs may give you the best possible team, the alternate means of gathering top players through achievements may be a more attainable route as it will be a product of your hard work and leaves the luck element out of the picture. The below list shows the top attainable players for offense and defense through achievements upon the game's release.

Warning: Although placing these players on the court will excel you to the top echelon of leaderboards, be aware that they cost a hefty price. To play any player onto the court that is around Emerald tier or above, you will usually have to push for more contracts per game. The higher rated a player is, the more you have to shell out to keep them there. If you run out of contracts and attempt to play them, there is a high chance that you will just lose the card outright, meaning you’ll have to farm for the card all over again. If you have enough, though, feel free to play these top players in each position as much as you wish. 

Offense

Center: Wilt Chamberlain - Offense Rating: 99 - Galaxy Opal Reward

The hall-of-famer is considered one of the most dominant players all time and is a product of my alma mater, the University of Kansas. He is the only player to have ever scored 100 points in a game, achieved seven NBA scoring titles and averaged 30.1 points per game over the course of his career (50.4 in a single season once).

Point Guard: John Stockton - Offense Rating: 98 - Pink Diamond Reward

A ten-time All-Star, Stockton played his entire career for the Utah Jazz. He is the NBA all-time leader in assists and holds a career average of 10.5 per game. Playing with the second all-time leading scorer, Karl Malone, definitely helped his numbers, but Stockton was truly an exceptional floor general.

Small Forward: Grant Hill - Offense Rating: 99 - Pink Diamond Reward

Grant Hill was widely considered one of the best all-around players of his generation while playing for the Pistons. While playing in Detroit, Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Unfortunately, injuries seriously derailed his career after his Detroit years.

Power Forward: Tim Duncan - Offense Rating: 95 - Pink Diamond Reward

Tim Duncan was quite the player on his way to five NBA titles. Over the course of his career, Duncan averaged 19 points and 3 assists per game. The 15-time NBA All-Star was known for his fundamentals in the post.

Shooting Guard: Paul Westphal - Offense Rating: 95 - Diamond Reward

Westphal was both a player and a coach in two of the most successful seasons in Phoenix Suns history. He is the Suns fifth all-time leading scorer and averaged 20.6 points per game while in Phoenix. He was a top 10 scorer in the league for a couple seasons in Phoenix and even won the first H-O-R-S-E competition of the NBA All-Star weekend.

Defense

Center: Wilt Chamberlain - Defense Rating: 96 - Galaxy Opal Reward

Not only was Wilt a dominant force on offense, but he dominated on defense as well. He averaged an absurd 22.9 rebounds per game over the course of his career and lead the NBA in rebounds for 11 seasons. He played before they officially started tracking blocks as a statistic, but he excelled there as well.

Point Guard: John Stockton - Defense Rating: 95 - Galaxy Opal Reward

Not only was Stockton a great passer, but he holds the career average for steals over any other player by a significant margin. He averaged 2.2 steals per game over the course of his career and snagged over 3,200 steals during that time.

Small Forward: Grant Hill - Defense Rating: 95 - Galaxy Opal Reward

Hill's career averages on defense of 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks per game are fairly mediocre compared to his early years in Detroit. During his six seasons in Detroit, his steals average ranged from 1.4 to 1.8 steals per game and his blocks ranged from 0.5 to 0.9 per game. These numbers were solid and were quite impressive when taken into consideration with all the heavy lifting he had to do on offense.

Power Forward: Tim Duncan - Defense Rating: 99 - Pink Diamond Reward

Duncan was equally good on defense as he was on offense. He was 8x All-NBA First Team Defense and 7x All-NBA Second Team Defense. During the prime of his career, he was averaging over 2.5 blocks per game for many seasons and holds a career average of 0.9 steals per game (solid for an interior player).

Shooting Guard: Paul Westphal - Defense Rating: 89 - Diamond Reward

Westphal was a solid offensive player but could also impact the game greatly on defense. He averaged 1.3 steals per game during his career and is most well-known for making several great steals to turn game 5 in the 1976 NBA Finals in to what some consider "the greatest game of all time". His quick hands allowed for several clutch scoring opportunities to push the game into triple-overtime.