When you begin your NBA 2K23 MyTEAM journey, one thing becomes clear early. Other than your chosen starter card, the rest of your roster is pretty weak.
That shouldn’t be an issue early in the game, especially if you are opting to play on easy mode, but as the matches get more difficult, the holes in your roster will quickly start to show.
However, at the start of the game, you are still gathering valuable MT, and you don’t want to spend it frivolously.
So what are the best budget MyTEAM cards in NBA 2K23 that you can buy from auctions that will help improve your roster? We’ve compiled a list of the top budget players for each position, which should cost you no more than 2k MT to purchase.
Point Guard – Chauncy Billups
| Estimated Cost | 1.3k |
| Overall Rating | 85 |
| Offensive Rating | 84 |
| Defensive Rating | 85 |
First, let’s focus on the point guard position. It is worth noting that no cheap point guard will be a better pick than the Ja Morant starter card, so if you chose that starter card, you could skip it.
However, if you opted for Jimmy Butler or Joel Embiid instead, then Chauncy Billups is an excellent choice to help you fill this gap in your team. With an 85 overall rating and some excellent key statistics, Billups is a safe pair of hands on the court and provides many options going forward.
He also comes with 29 bronze badges, including some of the most important ones, such as clamp breaker, blinders, and guard up.
At around 1.3k, Billups is a card that many players will sleep on but should add a lot of value to your team. One thing to note is that his shooting release is a little unusual in the game, so it is worth spending time in Freestyle Mode to get used to his style.
Key Statistics:
Driving Lay Up – 92
Free Throw – 87
Close Shot – 87
Ball Handle – 88
Pass Accuracy – 89
Pass IQ – 89
Key statistics:
Driving Lay Up – 92
Free Throw – 87
Close Shot – 87
Ball Handle – 88
Pass Accuracy – 89
Pass IQ – 89
Shooting Guard – Robert Reid
| Estimated Cost | 1k |
| Overall Rating | 83 |
| Offensive Rating | 82 |
| Defensive Rating | 81 |
Next up is our shooting guard. Robert Reid is a fantastic option for any roster and one you should snap up from the auction before other players realize. At just 1k, this man is an absolute steal and will bring so much to your roster.
While he only brings seven bronze badges and one silver badge, Reid has a fantastic close shot and three-pointer, given his price tag.
But it is not his shooting statistics that make Reid such a great purchase. It is the way he can be handled in the game. He has an unbelievably quick release, making him feel much better than his stats suggest.
On top of that, he is 6’8, which is huge for a shooting guard. This height gives you plenty of attacking options with Reid, as you can shoot from deep or take it to the rim.
In NBA 2K23, height matters. In previous games, if players were tall, they automatically moved slowly, but that is not the case in NBA 2k23.
Key Statistics:
Close Shot – 84
Three-Pointer – 77
Hustle – 98
Stamina 90
Small forward – Kelly Tripucka
| Estimated Cost | 700 |
| Overall Rating | 85 |
| Offensive Rating | 84 |
| Defensive Rating | 76 |
In the small forward position, we opted for Kelly Tripucka. Tripucka is certainly not the most well-known name in the game, so you can often grab this card for a steal. We were able to pick him up for around 700 MT.
At 6’6, Tripucka is a solid small forward, with 15 bronze badges to his name. What sets him apart from other cheap small forwards is his three-point shooting ability.
This additional skillset offers players plenty of flexibility in their offense, and he has hot zones all around the three-point line. He is also excellent at drawing fouls and shooting from the line, ideal for closing out tight games.
He has a similar shooting style to Reid; he gets his shot off quickly and is easy to handle.
Key Statistics:
Draw Foul – 88
Free Throw – 87
Three-Pointers – 82
Steal – 79
Speed – 79
Power Forward – P.J. Tucker
| Estimated Cost | 1k |
| Overall Rating | 74 |
| Offensive Rating | 73 |
| Defensive Rating | 73 |
The Power Forward position was certainly the most difficult to fill, as there is almost no budget-friendly power forwards on the market. To ensure success in NBA 2K23 MyTEAM, having four capable shooters is essential, which is why we opted for P.J. Tucker.
Unfortunately, Tucker is weak other than his three-point ability, so we recommend this to be the first place you upgrade when you have a little more cash available.
Tucker has an easy release style, but be conscious that he has cold zones across the three-point line, so deploy him down the left wherever possible.
Key Statistics:
Close Shot – 88
Three-Pointers – 80
Perimeter Defense – 75
Center – Rik Smits
| Estimated Cost | 1.4k |
| Overall Rating | 82 |
| Offensive Rating | 79 |
| Defensive Rating | 79 |
Finally, at Center, we opted for one of the most dominant players in the game, Rik Smits. It was a close call between this card and a Shaquille O’Neal iteration, but Smits edges it for a couple of reasons.
For starters, Smits is a cheaper option than Shaq, as Shaqs name automatically increases the value of any card. Secondly, Smits has much more stamina than Shaq, so he can play more minutes for your team, which is essential as your starting centers tend to be poor.
Unfortunately, Rik Smits is no longer capable of mid-range shooting as he was in the previous game, which limits his game somewhat. However, he is still a robust and dependable center that will help your team win many games early on.
Key Statistics:
Post Hook – 87
Post Fade – 87
Post Control – 87
Offensive Rebound – 87
Defensive Rebound – 88
Final Thoughts
In summary, none of these cards will be as strong as your starter pick. But as you can only choose one of those three players, it is essential to ensure your team is as well-rounded as possible, with players that don’t cost all of your hard-earned cash.
Robert Reid is very close to being as effective as Jimmy Butler, so you should factor that in when choosing your starter card.
Hopefully, this team will help take you to the next level and quickly work your way through the MyTEAM levels.
