NBA 2K26 Mike Wang Tweets and Discord Messages

NBA 2K26 Shooting News

Q: Will there still be RNG in shooting?

@Beluba on Discord: No. There will be no RING in shooting. There has always been some element of RNG in every past version of NBA 2K (including 2K24.) NBA 2K26 will be the first version to feature a completely pure green window. On Pro or lower difficulties, you can still make whites, but otherwise it's Green or Miss.

Q: Are there instant greens in NBA 2K26?

@Beluba on Discord: This year, we made the jump shot cellys and shot feedback dynamic based on the quality of the shot. It factors in the shooter's ratings, defensive coverage, and shot timing (or tempo for rhythm shots.) So if you have an Excellent release on a wide open shot with a good shooter, you'll get an insta-green.

Q: Are there different shot meter options?

@Beluba on Discord: All of the Shot Meter options from NBA 2K24 and NBA 2K25 are available to choose from this year, including the new default meter you saw in the Courtside Report video.

Q: Are there any changes to the contest system?

@Beluba on Discord: There have been a number of changes to the contest system logic. We've re-balanced the effectiveness of hands up, no-jump contests, and jumping contests to better reflect how shots are impacted in real life. We're also showing coverage percentages in full Shot Feedback again.

Q: Is there still a high/low risk reward setting?

@Beluba on Discord: No. Shot and Layup Timing Risk-Reward settings have been removed. Everyone will play on the same playing field in NBA 2K26.

Q: Can anyone do a quick catch and shoot or does it have attribute/badge requirements?

@Beluba on Discord: Anyone can perform the Quick Gatch and Shoot mechanic. There are no restrictions.

Q: How does rhythm shooting and button shooting compare?

@Beluba on Discord: The goal was to make both Rhythm and Button shooting viable options with neither having an advantage over the other. But they are very different mechanics so it's not really possible to directly compare them. Some will be much better with the button and some will be much better with the stick. Rhythm Shooting is definitely more rewarding IMO though. :)

Q: Can you only no dip shots with rhythm shooting or can you do it with the button too?

@Beluba on Twitter: Both.

Q: I'm assuming this applies to the all shots feedback too and not just simple?

@Beluba on Twitter: Yes, simple and all shots feedback show up at the same time.

Q: Can we get an explanation on the difference between then and now?

@Beluba on Twitter: The center of the green windows in 2K19 and 24 were pure, but we used RNG on the edges that lerped from 100 to 0%. for 2K26, if you release anywhere inside the window, it will be a make.

Q: Can you explain how the rhythm shooting works? Can I still green a shot with early or late timing?

@Beluba on Discord: Rhythm Shooting is basically all about mastering your shot's unique tempo. There's still an ideal timing point for when to push the Pro Stick, but you don't have to green the timing to make the shot. However, the better you time the release, the more wiggle room you have to match the tempo. The timing of the right stick movement and the speed of the stick throw will also affect how the animation plays out. So if you start the push early or throw the stick fast, you'll see the shooter rush the animation, if you delay your push you'll see the player hold the set point and hang a bit before starting the shooting motion, and if you throw the stick too slowly you'll see a lazier looking follow through. It's great if you need to intentionally rush your shot to beat a close out or low shot clock, but your green tempo window will be much smaller.

Q: Can you cancel out of the new Post Go-To shots?

@Beluba on Discord: For the Post Go-To shots that have a dribble, yes, you can cancel like regular Go-To shots. You can always pump fake and chain to step throughs also.

Q: Will there be a boost for turning the Shot Meter off?

@Beluba on Discord: Turning off the Shot Meter will slightly increase the size of your green window.

Q: Is the size of the green window different for no-dip compared to regular catch and shoots?

@Beluba on Discord: The green window for quick catch and shoot shots are the same as regular shots. It’s possible this could change in the future.

Q: Does this work in the same way for pull up jump shots or learners… so can I basically initiate a pull up, have the defender jump, hang and release on the way down pretty much?

@Beluba on Twitter: Yes. but the longer you hang, the more precise you have to be with your tempo to make the shot. and we put a ceiling on how long you can hold the set point before the shooting motion automatically starts for visual reasons.

Q: My guess… with everything I’ve read and his responses. Only advantage rhythm shooting would have now.. Ability to speed up jumper through the stick based on situations.

@Beluba on Twitter: It’s also really helpful if you have bad internet and unpredictable latency

Q: Can you do the no dip on moving catch and shoot shots as well, or do u have to come to a full stop to initiate the no dip.

@Beluba on Twitter: Just stand still catch & shoot.

Q: Will they have green windows added to the olds?

@Beluba on Twitter: All meters will show the green window except for the dial, arrow, and ring options from 2K25.

Q: Can you do No-Dip Catch and Shoots in team control modes?

@Beluba on Discord: Yes, in team control modes, as soon as you initiate the pass you can do a quick Catch and Shoot by immediately holding L2/LT as you receive the catch.

NBA 2K26 General Gameplay Changes

Q: Are there any changes to how Adrenaline Bars work?

@Beluba on Discord: Adrenaline will function very close to what you’re used to from NBA 2K25, but there have been some minor tweaks. For example, if you spam too many escape moves in a short amount of time, it will drain a bar.

Q: Can you use a Quick Protect even without a defender reaching on you? Does it use adrenaline?

@Beluba on Discord: You can use Quick Protect at any time, even if no one’s around, and it does not consume adrenaline.

Q: Are there any changes made to address L2 Dexing?

@Beluba on Discord: We’ve made efforts to reduce the unrealistic motion/cuts that can result from dexing. Attempting to use dexing to cut back and forth repeatedly will consume adrenaline.

Q: If you don't green a rebound can you still get it? What happens when 2 people both green a rebound?

@Beluba on Discord: You can still grab a rebound if you don't green the timing. And if a little player is trying to out rebound a big, excellent timing will often not be enough to secure the board. If the big makes zero effort and just stands there, the little guy will have a better chance with perfect timing though. If 2 players green the rebound timing, the outcome is decided by positioning, ratings, and height. The core mechanics around how rebounding works isn't changing in 2K26. Timing your jump has always been an important aspect of rebounding, the indicator was added just to help players understand how rebounding works.

Q: Do motion styles have an effect on gameplay?

@Beluba on Discord:Yes, motion styles are driven by ProPLAY just like dribble styles, so some styles will naturally be quicker and more explosive than others. For NBA 2K26, we've added ratings gates so you'll need higher attributes to equip the more effective styles.

NBA 2K26 Dribbling News

Q: Are there any changes to dribbling besides the new controls for Signature Size-Ups?

@Beluba on Discord: Dribbling has changed a lot in NBA 2K26. Branching and chaining moves will generally feel more responsive and you can interrupt more moves than you could in 2K25. We made an effort to make dribbling faster and the inputs more responsive as well. You’ll find some great new content, as well as the return of some old favorites (e.g. Pippen’s behind the back wrap), so I think dribble heads will be able to create some nice highlights this year.

Q: Are there any changes to bursts and changes in direction for ball handlers?

@Beluba on Discord: We spent some time tuning the dribbler’s ability to start, stop, and cut. The speed and tightness of changing directions will vary based on ratings and dribble style.

@Beluba on Twitter: You'll be able to do this by chaining 2 driving btb's together.

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NBA 2K26 Defense Changes

Q: Can we pull the chair when being backed down in the paint?

@Beluba on Discord: Yes, you can pull the chair in the post by tapping CIRCLE/B when the offensive player makes contact with you.

Q: Are there any changes to pluck steals and lane steals?

@Beluba on Discord: On-ball steal targeting and steal animations have been improved to reward defenders who position themselves well and anticipate the dribbler’s moves. The canned “animation pluck steals” have been almost entirely disabled. Pass interceptions have been tuned a bit but are similar in effectiveness to 2K25.

Q: The question that needs to be answered was so frustrating the whole year of 2k25 the offense getting the loose ball ALL THE TIME.

@Beluba on Twitter: ball handlers will be stunned for a moment when they get the ball poked away from them and bigs will play a slight stumble if they're heavily contested/blocked under the rim to give the defense an edge in recovering the 50/50 ball

Q: Did you make any changes to address the LT exploit on 2s, where one player posts up to trap the guard defender and create a free shot?

@Beluba on Twitter: We made the ball extremely vulnerable to steals when posting up far from the rim to mitigate the L2 cheese.

NBA 2K26 Dunks/Layups News

Q: Are there any changes to dunking?

@Beluba on Discord: Yes, holding Turbo and the Pro Stick down is how you meter dunk in NBA 2K26. This will also encourage more flashy dunks, but you can also get flashy dunks on the Shot Button if you’re wide open with no trailing threats. The meter dunk logic has changed a lot and you’ll notice a much bigger green window on open dunks both driving and standing.

Q: How do height/attribute restrictions work for the Custom Layups?

@Beluba on Discord: @Beluba on Discord: Height and rating restrictions are similar to NBA 2K25 for the new custom layup packages. So if you qualified for a specific player’s layup package in NBA 2K25, you’d qualify for all of that player’s individual Normal, Reverse, Quick Scoop, Floater, Euro, Hop step, and Spin packages in 2K26.

Q: Have there been any changes to baseline sensitivity?

@Beluba on Discord: Yes, there was an improvement to address the baseline sensitivity, especially when attempting baseline layups.

Q: Are there any improvements to standing dunks?

@Beluba on Discord: We've reworked the logic for standing dunks to make them more reliable for bigs who aren't too crowded under the rim. We've also retuned standing skill dunks to have (generally) larger green windows to compensate for how fast most of those dunks are.

Q: Will the green window on dunk meters move dynamically based on contest the same way layups do or will it be the same as 2k24 where the green widow was the same size from the start of the dunk meter to the end?

@Beluba on Twitter: The dunk meter green window will adjust dynamically like layups.

NBA 2K26 Passing News

Q: Since double tapping CIRCLE/B is Wrap Passes now, can you still do flashy passes?

@Beluba on Discord: Flashy passes have been moved to CROSS+CIRCLE (PS5) or A+B (XBX). Self alley-oops are now mapped to SQUARE+TRIANGLE (PS5) or X+Y (XBX).

Q: Are there any other new passing controls?

@Beluba on Discord: Another passing feature added for NBA 2K26 is contextual auto lob passes. With this new Auto Lob to Moving Passes controller setting enabled, pressing the Normal pass button (CROSS or A) or icon passing will throw lob passes to moving receivers in situations where a normal chest pass would be more prone to getting intercepted. Advanced playmakers who only want to throw lobs by pressing TRIANGLE or Y will want to set this option to Disabled in the Controller Settings menu.