2K Sports released Friday the six new Signatures Skills for “NBA 2K14.” While all of them are likely to add something to the game, here are the three I think will add the most to the game (courtesy: screen shots on the Twitter account of 2K Sports Community and Social Media Manager Chris Manning.) :
PICK AND ROLLS MAESTRO
A ball-handler who excels at orchestrating the pick & roll. As the point man in a pick & roll, immediately following a screen this player receives a three point boost to his shooting attribute and is more accurate than most when passing to the screener.
ONE MAN FASTBREAK:
A player known for his ability to take the ball coast to coast on a fastbreak. Speed, Quickness and Ball-Handling attributes are boosted six points if this player takes the ball from one end of the court to another on a fastbreak following a change of possession.
SCREEN OUTLET:
A player now excels as the receiver in the pick & roll/pop game. If this player shoots immediately following a screen he set, he receives up to a 4 point boost to his shooting attribute.
The “Pick and Roll Maestro” and the “Screen Outlet” are extremely important because they display the basketball IQ of a player and focus on arguably the most common and important play of the game. This should make pick and rolls run with teams like the Rockets (Dwight Howard & James Harden/Jeremy Lin), the Clippers (Chris Paul & Blake Griffin) and the Wolves (Ricky Rubio & Kevin Love) extremely effective.
When it comes to the “Screen Outlet” in particular, the midrange game will probably be heightened. Big men such as Marc Gasol and maybe even Nick Collison will be able to set the screen, roll, and knock down the midrange jumper.
The “One Man Fastbreak” feature pertains more to a player’s ability than IQ. It seems the Skill is a lesser version of the LeBron James Coast to Coast skill. It will most likely help guys like Derrick Rose and John Wall become authentically effective when they rebound the ball or get the rock very early in a fast break.
“NBA 2K14” will hit stores for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 on October 1. The game will be released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year.
