Summary
While the modern NBA has an emphasis on shooting, there is still value in driving the ball toward the basket. Players who thrive in pushing for layups and dunks perform some of the most sensational players you’ll see and create contact to draw fouls on the defense.
InNBA 2K24, finishing around the basket is a crucial skill to succeed on the hardwood. There are several badges to boost a player’s finishing attributes but we’ve highlighted the very best badges that you want to have to become the top finisher in the game.
10Masher
With so much movement on the basketball court, there will be plenty of opportunities where the offensive player is mismatched with an inferior defender. Sometimes, it’ll be a bigger, slower defender but other times it’ll be a quicker, but smaller defender.
When you have a smaller defender, players with the Masher badge can take advantage of the size differential and bully their way toward the basket. Masher improves a player’s ability to finish well around the rim when guarded by smaller defenders. The badge can provide an excellent boost to punishing smaller mismatches under the basket.
9Two Step
The Eurostep slowly became a common technique used by NBA players in the early 2000s but did not become officially legal until 2009. Essentially, the Eurostep is when an offensive player dribbles toward the basket, picks up their dribble, adjusts their body weight to avoid the defensive player, and maneuvers around them for a layup.
The Two Step badge improves a player’s ability to make Eurostep and cradle layups or dunks. Having this badge will make the entire action more easily executed and will boost the offensive finishing skills of the player.
8Aerial Wizard
Whether it’s through pick-n-rolls or simply a defensive collapse, there will be opportunities where an offensive player will be left wide open near the basket. If you have a quality passer, this will be a great chance to perform high-flying lobs or putbacks at the rim.
Aerial Wizard will boost a player’s ability to finish lobs and putbacks at the rim. This is a useful badge to have when you’re up against bigger defenders because you’ll have a higher chance of scoring over them with the boost to this finishing skill.
7Precision Dunker
Without question, dunking remains one of the most exciting offensive plays in basketball. Watching a massive human being rattle the entire basket and fans holding their breath in anticipation is a feeling like no other.
While all dunks are exciting, not all dunks are equal, and that’s where Precision Dunker comes into play. This badge improves a player’s ability to make skill dunks, which can be windmills, 360 spins, or even between-the-leg dunks.
6Posterizer
Most of the time, defenders will shy away when they see an offensive player flying at them for a dunk. But occasionally, someone will try stepping in the way and attempt to block or redirect the dunk attempt to make it more difficult.
However, if the offensive player has the Posterizer dunk, the defender is going to be in for a bad time. Posterizer improves the likelihood of posterizing your opponent and leaving them wishing they never tried blocking you in the first place.
5Acrobat
Defenses will attempt to stack the painted area to prevent offensive players from driving toward the basket. Most offensive players might have trouble navigating through highly-defended interiors but those with the Acrobat badge won’t be affected as much.
The Acrobat badge boosts the ability to make layups that have a high degree of difficulty. These can be reverse layups, contested finger rolls, or just misdirected layup attempts to avoid contact.
4Fearless Finisher
NBA 2K24 has finishing badges that help offensive players score inside by avoiding contact but Fearless Finisher only workswith contact.Typically, offensive players will want to misdirect their attempt to prevent the defender or the contested layup won’t be a good shot selection.
Fearless Finisher improves the ability to convert contact layups at a higher success rate. Having this badge will drastically make it easier to drive the ball and score inside, and open up the possibility of converting the layup with a foul.
3Whistle
There are a handful of players in the league who specialize in drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. While fans might think this type of skill ruins the game by forcing the referees to be a major factor in the game, collecting fouls and getting free throws can be a game-changer.
The Whistle badge increases the chances of drawing fouls when trying to score. Not only will this give you more opportunities at the free throw line, but it will also get the opposing team in foul trouble faster and potentially force their star players to the bench so they don’t foul out of the game.
2Blow-By
Speedy perimeter offensive players utilize their quickness and agility to overtake defenders, especially those who like to play tight defense. If a defender tries to crowd the offensive player with the ball, the Blow-By badge will be a devastating counterplay.
This badge improves a player’s ability to cleanly get past defenders with easy blow-bys on the perimeter. Quickly getting past your defender will likely force a second defender to stop up and guard the driving player, which should open up another player for an easy shot opportunity. If a second defender doesn’t step up, it’ll be an easy uncontested layup for the perimeter player.
1Giant Slayer
When you run a fluid offense with a lot of passing and movement, mismatches will likely occur and perimeter players will find themselves matched with larger defenders. It might be difficult driving toward the basket against a larger defender but Giant Slayer will be there to save you.
This badge heightens the effectiveness of layups over taller defenders, and that could open the possibility of converting layups with a foul. Being able to score inside against taller defenders, who likely have high interior defense ratings, makes Giant Slayer the best Finishing badge to have in NBA 2K24.
