How to Dribble in NBA 2K20 | Guide & Tips

Dribbling is slightly different in NBA 2K20, so prepare to learn the basics and cross up your opponents.

Gone are the days of Point Guards spamming dribble moves at the top of the key to try and get open while wasting the first 20 seconds of the shot clock, because NBA 2K20 implemented several new mechanics to the game to change how dribbling works.

Along with a more realistic, overhauled motion system, the animations and timing for dribbling were a specific focus of the game’s development. 2K new that overdribbling was one of the game’s biggest flaws over the last few years, which is why it was a priority to get a handle on it.

Here is a breakdown of what has changed and how to optimize your dribbling, so you aren’t hurting your gameplay.

How to Dribble in NBA 2K20

The New Stuff

Animations. That is the key thing that has changed here and what you will need to adjust to. You will still be able to customize your animations however you want fully, but now there are more of them for different situations.

Cuts, pick and rolls, hesitation moves, inverted moves, you will need to get used to having different animations for these motions and more. The concept of situational dribbling animations is fantastic, because if it gives players more freedom to react in different ways in a one on one compared to a pick and pop play.

Not only that, but overdribbling not only depletes stamina faster, but it makes you more likely to get the ball stolen or mishandle it into a bad situation. This is likely in response to the last four years (or more) of players who did not have the ball or played non-ball dominant positions being forced to watch the primary ball-handler dribble the shot clock away only to toss up a bad shot or pass away at the last second.

Those players made the game a lot less fun, and while they will still be around, this is almost a hard counter to that playstyle by 2K as they try to force change in their meta.

Signature Moves

• James Harden
• LeBron James
• Magic Johnson
• Kobe Bryant
• Jerry West
• Dennis Johnson
• John Stockton
• Allen Iverson
• Tim Hardaway
• Steve Nash
• Jason Kidd
• Isiah Thomas
• Chris Paul
• Damian Lillard
• Russell Westbrook
• Kyrie Irving
• Kemba Walker
• Stephen Curry
• Paul George
• Kawhi Leonard

That is the full list of players that are got signature dribbling styles in 2K20, and boy do they feel good to pull off. Along with the basic styles, these are all the special animations that give an extra flair to the already beautiful art of dribbling. But that isn’t all. These animations can all be chained together.

Size-Up and Chain

The new size-up mechanic allows players to time their dribbles and chain animations into other moves. This allows the most skilled ball-handlers to go from a hesitation cross-up to a James Harden style fade.

But this is also where most of your time will be spent, both learning and re-learning the 2K dribbling system. There are tutorials in the game that show you how to properly time your left and right analog stick movements to get the most out of each animation, but it will take a lot of practice, especially if you want those skills to be competitive in Pro-Am, MyTeam, or MyLeague Online.

As you move on from basic hesitations and step backs to full-on movement chains, you can freely swap out your animations to find what feels the best for you. Those basic moves are always useful, but pulling off a chain into Kyrie Irving fade or classic AI cross will make you feel like a real baller. And if you need a comprehensive list of the advanced controls, you can find one here.