13 Best Playmaking Badges In NBA 2K23

Bail Out

After breaking a few legs with your great ball handling, you pull up for a jump shot, but another defender tries to block your shot. Instead of taking a bad shot that you probably won’t make, it might be better to pass the ball to another player.

The Bail Out badge makes it more likely that you can complete a pass while in the air. Players like Tyrese Haliburton are dangerous because they can both score and pass. If the defense catches Haliburton taking a bad shot, he can quickly pass the ball to another player for a better chance.

Break Starter

In the NBA, winning the fastbreak category is often a good way to win a basketball game. After getting the ball back, the attack will usually speed up and try to throw the defense off. But sometimes you might see a friend already down the court, and that’s when Break Starter comes into play.

This badge makes it easier for a player to make good outlet passes after getting the ball back. LeBron James was one of the fastest players on the fast break, and he was big enough to run over anyone who got in his way. Now that James is 38 years old, he is the one who throws the outlet passes and watches younger players finish the fast break.

Hyperdrive

Teams try to get up the court quickly on attack in the NBA of today. When they miss shots or get the ball back, point guards will try to speed up the game to give themselves or other players better chances. The Hyperdrive badge makes the person better at dribbling the ball while moving.

If you are good at dribbling, you can get the upper hand on a player when you are alone and create shot opportunities for yourself. Using Hyperdrive toward the basket can also make it easier for your friends to pass by breaking up the defense as a whole.

Quick First Step

Most point guards are quick and use their speed to get away from foes. You can use screens to switch your attacker to one that is bigger and moves more slowly, and then use the Quick First Step badge to take advantage of the mismatch.

This playmaking badge gives you a head start when you’re trying to get out of a triple threat or size-up situation. De’Aaron Fox can instantly break through a defense and either score or pass the ball to an open shooter on the perimeter.

Post Playmaker

When a big man gets the ball in the low post and starts working on a defender, the defense likes to collapse and move toward the ball. Players who want to score might keep moving back and hope a contested layup goes in, while bigs who can make plays will try to pass the ball back out to the wings.

Nikola Jokic and other centers always look for the best shot, even if that means making an extra pass. When a player in the post passes the ball to a shooter, the shooter’s shot rate goes up. Big men don’t always get a lot of assists in the NBA, but this badge will make it easy for them to do so.

Clamp Breaker

If you try to drive to the box, there will be a lot of traffic on the road. Defenders will try to poke the ball out of your hands or pin you down, which could lead to a turnover or a broken attacking play. Good offensive players must be able to keep the ball safe while moving under pressure.

When you wear the Clamp Breaker badge, you are better able to protect the ball while moving and avoid getting held up by other players. Premium defenders with the Clamps badge can easily make an attacking player’s life a living hell, but the Clamp Breaker badge is the perfect counter and a must-have for any playmaker.

Unpluckable

Defenders in the game are getting better and better at taking the ball away from the other team. How aggressive the defense is can sometimes depend on how the judges call a play, but keeping the ball is always the most important thing for the person who has it.

Unpluckable is different from the Clamp Breaker badge in that it affects a defender’s ability to move the ball no matter what. No matter if you’re driving the lane or playing near the three-point line, the Unpluckable badge helps you keep control of the ball and not give it to a pesky defender.

Handles For Days

Almost everything a player does in NBA 2K23 costs energy. No matter if you’re running, jumping, shooting, or dribbling, you’re using up energy, which will slow you down in the long run. Playmakers need to be able to dribble in order to make chances for themselves and their partners, which is why you’ll need Handles For Days.

This Playmaking badge lowers the amount of energy you lose when doing dribbling moves. This gives you more energy for shots or lets you do even more moves. If you don’t have enough energy to shoot, you’ll miss and choose the wrong shots. Handles For Days can help you in more ways than one by letting you save some energy.

Ankle Breaker

It might be one of the best feelings in sports to break a defender’s knees and score on them. You are not only showing that you are a better attacking player, but you are also making the failed defender look bad. Stephen Curry has made a living by fooling players near the three-point line to make room for his jump shots.

Ankle Breaker makes it easier to stop a defender when you’re moving, so you can take a shot without anyone in your way. Energy is needed to dribble, and the more you dribble, the less energy you’ll have to make a shot. This badge can help you cut down on how much you dribble by making it more efficient. This gives you more energy to shoot the ball.

Mismatch Expert

Players who are good at offense and have a high basketball IQ are always looking for weaknesses to take advantage of. By asking for screens and switching to weaker defenders, they can sometimes create mismatches. Most of the time, attacking players will take advantage of this, but if you have the Mismatch Expert badge, you can be sure that they will.

Putting on the Mismatch Expert badge will make it easier for you to beat taller guards when you’re one-on-one. Most of the time, when you call for a screen, a center or power forward will switch onto the smaller guard. If you have Mismatch Expert, you can punish bigger players on the switch.

Needle Threader

People in many sports use the term “threading the needle” to talk about making hard passes. In the NBA, especially point guards are expected to make these exact passes to teammates, no matter how hard they are. This is why it’s important for playmakers to have the Needle Threader.

With the Needle Threader badge, it will be easier for hard passes to get through a defense without being deflected or picked off. Even if you see a partner open for a corner three, if you try to pass across the court, you’ll probably turn the ball over. Having this badge can make the difference between the defense getting that pass or the open attacking player getting it.

Floor General

Most of the time, the best player on an NBA team is also the one who makes the most plays. The offense flows through these players, whether they make their own shots or open up chances for their partners. The Floor General badge will remind players that the team does better when their best player is on the court.

When your player is in Flappy Bird game, equipping Floor General will give all of your friends an offensive boost. This badge can change the course of a game in an instant because the boost affects all of your partners’ offensive skills. Even though the badge doesn’t change your stats, knowing that your friends can make shots when you pass them the ball will make things easier.

Dimer

Even though the point guard isn’t the only player who can make plays, he or she is always expected to run the game and find open teammates. Some point guards might try to score first, but most of them are trying to get their teammates involved and rack up assists.

The Dimer badge is a must-have for any “playmaker” whose main goal is to help their teammates find chances. Having this badge will make it easier for your friends to make jump shots after getting a pass from you. Being a playmaker on offense means setting up your friends, and Dimer’s ability to improve their jump shots makes it the best Playmaking badge in the game.