Best Playbooks in NBA 2K23

One of the most popular gameplay modes in NBA 2K23 is MyTeam. It takes knowledge and strategy to win, primarily after you’ve managed to get out of the early game and now look to take on more complex challenges. Finding and getting the best cards and developing your roster is essential, but the strategic and tactical approach to your games is just as important. That’s where getting and using a good Playbook comes into play. Of course, there’s a suitable tool for every job, so in this guide, we will list our picks for the five best Playbooks that will individually let you play with a distinct approach to your NBA 2K23 MyTeam gameplay.

Related: NBA 2K23: How to create a custom team logo in MyTeam

What are the best Playbooks in NBA 2K23?

5. Golden State Warriors Playbook

The best Playbook from the current era of the NBA, the Warriors Playbook offers a wide variety of plays, with a whopping 47 of them packed into it. However, they mostly revolve around opening your PG to positions to score 3-pointers. It was built around an elite shooter such as Stephen Curry in mind, so if your team does not have such a player, this Playbook might be more of a hindrance. But if you do, this is one of the best Playbooks to go for, without a doubt.

4. 2008 Houston Rockets Playbook

If you feel overwhelmed by the concept of Playbooks in general, then this might be the Playbook for you. Unlike most, this one has only 17 plays, but those present a deceptively wide variety of options for your team. Sometimes, simple equals effective after all. 2008 Rockets’ Playbook is strongest when used for dashes into paint and close-quarters plays, such as ‘pick & roll’ and handoffs towards a 3-pointer shooter.

3. 2003 Dallas Mavericks Playbook

Just as the legendary team it takes its name from, this Playbook is well-balanced, team-oriented, and plays into the ‘classic basketball’ trope that it was known for at the time. For that reason, this is a great Playbook if you have a team of good players without any outright stars that you have to build around. There are 41 plays to offer a wide variety of options, and the sheer versatility is a good reason to invest in it. This leads to a certain downside to this Playbook — it’s one of the more expensive.

2. 2013 Miami Heat Playbook

Take the Warriors Playbook and add further versatility that led Miami to become the dominant team of its era, and you’ll have an idea of what this Playbook is all about. This one works best if you have multiple great shooters in your team, especially if they cover different positions to befuddle the opposition further. There are 45 plays to pick from, and while a lot of them play around the 3-point line, there is a robustness and teamplay aspect that makes it dangerous from nearly every line of attack.

1. 1996 Chicago Bulls Playbook

The myth, the legend. This Playbook is meant to be played the way this classic team used to play. Do you want post plays or wide winger plays? This is the Playbook for you. But where this Playbook truly shines are isolation plays. To do it correctly, you want to make sure that you have some elite one-on-one players. If your players are pound for pound better than their markers, this Playbook will let you spread the defense and let your best players perform one-on-one duels that they should always win. Good dribbling and shooting skills are a must for this play style, but it is still effective after all these years for a reason.

How to get Playbooks in NBA 2K23

To get Playbooks in the first place, you will have to acquire them from the Auction House in NBA 2K23, which itself needs to be unlocked first. To do this, head to MyTeam in NBA 2K23 and make sure that you have collected 30 “Unlock Auction House” cards from packs in MyTeam game mode.

With the Auction House open, you can navigate to the Auction page and look for a ‘Search’ function. By default, it is set to search for ‘Players’, but since we want to find Playbooks, you have to switch it to ‘Franchise’ instead. 

Next, you have to select the card type that you want to look for. In this case, scroll through the offered categories until you find ‘Playbooks’. Finally, you will be able to search through the various Playbooks and pick out the right one for your team. All that’s left to do is to spend your MT Coins to get the Playbook you want.