Player badges are an important part of gameplay in NBA 2K22 – they provide a significant boost to your offensive, defensive, or playmaking game that can change certain in-game situations dramatically.
However, certain badges are more valuable than others and, given the fact that they’re not so easy to come by, you should be careful when deciding which ones to go for. This is especially important in MyTeam, where buying player badges in auctions is one of the most reliable ways of getting them.
Read on to learn which are the best badges to use in NBA 2K22 in each category: Finishing, Shooting, Playmaking, Defense/Rebounding.
The Best Shooting Badges
We’ll start off with shooting badges because they’re the ones that can have the biggest impact on your play.
One badge that’s been getting a lot of attention since last year is the Green Machine. This badge gives you a wider window for getting Perfect or Excellent releases, once you’ve consecutively hit Excellent releases. It’s a great way to get a hot hand and one of the best badges to capitalize on good shooters. Additionally, if you’re having troubles consistently hitting Perfect releases (which a lot of people are on 2K22), this badge can be of great help.
Deadeye is another reliable shooting badge that’s been a part of NBA 2K for years. This badge reduces the impact of approaching defenders that are closing you out – something that can often be quite annoying. Especially with defenders with large wing spans like Giannis Antetokounmpo, you’ll sometimes experience that the impact they have when closing out is massive. Deadeye is one way to combat this.
Another great badge is the Volume Shooter which can be especially handy in MyCareer, where you’ll likely be taking more shots than the rest of the team. This badge boosts your shot percentages as you keep accumulating shots throughout the game so it also makes you a more clutch player.
The other tools you choose will depend on your play style. Catch & Shoot, Sniper, Stop & Pop, and Clutch Shooter are all worth looking into, although you might not need the last one if you have Volume Shooter.
The Best Finishing Badges
Again, the badges you choose here will depend on which players you’re buying them for (or your player style if you’re playing MyCareer).
However, one badge is among my favorites regardless of the player or style: Fast Twitch. This badge reduces the time the player needs to fire off a layup or dunk around the rim – which can make a massive difference when you grab an offensive rebound or you know how to execute the most effective post moves in NBA 2K22. That’s why this badge is also good when combined with Putback Boss.
Slithery Finisher and Acrobat are both great finishing badges that make you a much better finisher inside. The former improves your ability to avoid contact at the rim while the latter makes it easier to convert difficult layups. When combined, these two badges will have a big impact on your effectiveness in traffic under the rim.
Other finishing badges to consider are Giant Slayer, Posterizer, and Limitless Takeoff.
The Best Playmaking Badges
Starting off with the playmaking badges, Dimer and Bullet Passer are absolute musts if you’re looking to create a playmaking beast. Dimer will provide a shot percentage boost to open shooters receiving passes from the player while Bullet Passer will increase the velocity of the player’s passes.
Ankle Breaker is a playmaking badge that I personally like to use every years simply because it makes for fun gameplay. If you have good handling, this badge will make it much easier to drop or freeze defenders when executing dribble moves. It’s a very fun badge to choose when creating the best point guard build in NBA 2K22.
Other badges to consider include Downhill, Needle Threader, Unpluckable, and Quick First Step.
The Best Defense/Rebounding Badges
Out of all the best badges in NBA 2K22, defense/rebounding badges will depend on the position and playing style the most. Perimeter defense or post defense will be the most important decision here.
The Clamps badge falls into the perimeter category and is one of the best defensive badges in the game. It’s crucial for on-ball defense as it gives you access to more cut off moves and makes bumping the defender more effective.
Intimidator is another key badge to use – it increases your effectiveness when contesting shots. The interesting thing about this badge is that it also boost your shot defense rating when you’re tightly guarding an opponent, not even necessarily contesting the shot. Combined with the Rim Protector badge, this badge will make it almost impossible to score over the player, inside or outside.
Other defensive and rebounding badges worth mentioning are Interceptor, Rebound Chaser, Worm, and Menace.
Final Word
Getting the best badges to use in NBA 2K22 will give a massive boost to your game – you just have to be rational when choosing them and set your priorities.
Take these badges we covered into consideration and don’t forget to combine them! You can get the most out of every badge if you go for combos that will all improve a specific aspect of the game. For example, combining Clamps, Pickpocket, and Menace will make you a scary perimeter defender that can strip the ball off of pretty much any player.
