Okay, let me tell you about my session with NBA 2K yesterday. I got some free time and decided to fire up the console. Wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, maybe start a new MyCareer or something, but ended up just messing around in Play Now.
Getting Started
So I’m scrolling through the teams, and I land on the Denver Nuggets. You know, I’ve been watching Jamal Murray play quite a bit lately, especially remembering those playoff runs. Dude can get incredibly hot. I thought, alright, let’s see how they’ve captured him in the game this year. I picked the Nuggets and matched them up against the Lakers, just for a classic matchup.
First few possessions, I made a point of getting the ball to Murray. Wanted to feel out his dribble moves, see how his shot felt. It’s always a bit different player to player in 2K, you know?
Trying His Moves
I tried his hesitation move, the one where he kind of sizes up his defender. The animations felt alright, pretty standard stuff. Then I tried to get that step-back jumper going. Man, that shot is his bread and butter in real life. In the game, the first couple I took felt a bit awkward. Maybe it was just me, the timing felt a little off. Either short-armed it or launched it too long. A few ugly misses early on.
Then things started clicking a bit. I ran a few pick-and-rolls with Jokic, obviously. That two-man game is key for the Nuggets. Murray coming off the screen, I tried pulling up for mid-range jumpers. Started knocking a few down. Then I focused on driving. Tried to get those floaters and scoop layups he does in the lane. Those felt a bit better, actually. Managed to get a few to drop over the defender. It felt kind of satisfying when it worked.
- Tried dribble combos to create space.
- Focused on catch-and-shoot situations too.
- Attempted some clutch shots near the end of quarters.
Game Feel and Observations
Playing as him, you could feel that potential to get hot. If you hit a couple of shots, his rating seemed to respond, and it got easier to score, like he was getting into rhythm. That part felt pretty accurate to the real Murray. When he’s on, he’s really on.
But sometimes, the generic animations kind of took me out of it. Like, some drives just felt like any other guard’s drive. It didn’t always scream ‘Jamal Murray’. His shooting form looked okay, though. They did a decent job on his release visuals.
I mostly just played the one exhibition game. Controlled the whole team but really focused my offense through Murray whenever I could. It was interesting trying to mimic his playstyle, not just spamming threes but trying the mid-range stuff and the drives too.
Wrapping Up
So yeah, that was my little experiment playing as Jamal Murray in NBA 2K. It was a decent way to spend an hour or so. Getting his shot down took a bit of practice, but the floaters felt pretty good. It definitely made me appreciate his actual skill in real life even more. Might even try building a MyTeam around him or doing a Nuggets MyLeague playthrough next time I’m on.
