NBA 2K21 has been relatively silent over the last few weeks, which means we are likely due for some big reveals!
One reveal we're hoping to see a is a MyLEAGUE rework to push along the most innovative and clean franchise mode in sports gaming.
MyLEAGUE
MyLEAGUE is one of the highlights of the NBA 2K franchise, a revolutionary take on the standard franchise mode.
MyLEAGUE is clean, crisp, innovative, and the standard for sports titles.
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But to reach MyLEAGUE's successes, NBA 2K had to innovate and optimize. And for the past few years, we've seen less and less of this in MyLEAGUE, and other games are starting to catch up.
This leaves fans hoping for NBA 2K21 to reinvent the wheel once again. With next-gen capabilities, it's never been more possible.
Cleaning up MyLEAGUE
Despite NBA 2K20 having more attention than it has since release with coronavirus quarantine and a tournament with NBA stars airing on ESPN, the game has maintained a glitch in the MyLEAGUE mode for months with no end in sight.
This is what many refer to as the duplicates glitch.
TOUGH CHOICE- If we miss on Ja Morant at least we have Matt Barry Carroll
This means right off the bat, your MyLEAGUE will have two Ja Morants, two Zion Williamsons, and more if you choose the pre-made 2019 Draft Class. You can see how this can quickly become a problem.
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For months players have had to download player-made draft classes to circumvent this, and it's somehow still not fixed. That can't be the case in NBA 2K21.
More intelligent AI
While the 2K series has created a pretty smart GM AI to deal with in MyLEAGUE, sometimes it falls flat and effects player experience.
There are times when you can find trades that simply can't be explained and pickup value or dump bad contracts with ease.
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Now we know this is possible in real life too, trades like the New York Knicks dealing Kristaps Porzingis for Dennis Smith Jr., Deandre Jordan, and a couple middling first round picks immediately come to mind.
But there's room to improve how AI GM's build teams and trade.
For starters, the AI needs to be more wary of bad contracts.
SALARY DUMP- AI love to pick up bad contracts for important draft picks
There are some truly horrendous contracts to deal with for some teams at the start of MyLEAGUE. This includes Tyler Johnson for $19.25M, Evan Turner for $18.61M and more.
But you won't have to worry about them because AI can't get enough of them.
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When it's this easy to dump these bad contracts to AI (and often picking up good draft picks in the process) rebuilding a franchise can be done before the first game of the season.
Better draft class builds
The 2K series has introduced hundreds of different player builds to personalize each player. But when letting the game build draft classes for NBA 2K20, there were some pretty disappointing results.
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This includes many low-potential talents that can't shape the league like rookies can today with names like Trae Young, Luka Doncic and more stepping right into the franchise-star role.
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We don't get the interesting and unique prospects we've seen year after year, instead ending up with cookie cutter boring characters that don't have the same impact.