NBA 2k27 Best Dribble Moves & Playmaking Animations
How Koza2K Ranks Dribble Moves in NBA 2k27
We have partnered with Koza2K on YouTube to test every dribble style in NBA 2k27 at each height break point and rank them from best to worst.
Every move type is graded on its own animation categories, because what matters changes from move to move. Dribble styles are scored on Speedboost and Cross Launch; size-ups on Crossover, Between The Legs and Behind The Back. Each category is scored 1 to 10 and averaged into the aggregate that orders the rankings.
What Koza2K Grades Each Move On
The grading categories change from move type to move type, because what makes a size-up good is not what makes a stepback good. Each move is scored 1 to 10 on its own categories and those scores are averaged into the aggregate that orders the table.
| Move Type | Moves Ranked | Attribute | Graded On |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dribble Style | 39 | Speed With Ball | Speedboost, Cross Launch |
| Signature Size-Up | 30 | Ball Handle | Crossover, Between The Legs, Behind The Back |
| Combo Move | 27 | Ball Handle | Double Cross Combo, Hesi Cross Combo |
| Breakdown Combo | 62 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Breakdown Moving Combo | 34 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Double Crossover Combo | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Hesitation Crossover Combo | 24 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Crossover | 47 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Crossover Escape | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Crossover Stepback | 23 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Misdirection Crossover | 7 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Between Legs Cross | 45 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Between Legs Escape | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Behind the Back | 36 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Behind the Back Escape | 36 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Behind the Back Launch | 15 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Misdirection Behind Back | 5 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Hesitation | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Hesitation Escape | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Lateral Hesitation | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Misdirection Hesitation | 11 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Spin | 26 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Cross Spin | 22 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Stepback | 15 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Lateral Stepback | 16 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| In and Out | 8 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Triple Threat Breakdown | 20 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Triple Threat Jab Steps | 13 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Triple Threat Style | 11 | Ball Handle | Overall Grade |
| Triple Threat Stepovers | 7 | Overall Grade |
How to Quick Stop in NBA 2k27
The quick stop is how you kill your momentum out of a sprint and get straight into a shot, a stepback or another dribble move, instead of drifting past your defender and having to gather again.
Koza walks through the 2k27 quickstop in the handcam below, so you can watch the stick and button timing rather than read it.
Misdirection Hesitation Review
NBA 2k27 Best Signature Size-Ups
Signature Size-Ups are graded on Crossover, Between The Legs and Behind The Back, and gated by Ball Handle rather than Speed with Ball. Here is the top of Koza's size-up rankings.
| Size-Up | Min Ht | Max Ht | Ball Handle | Crossover | Between The Legs | Behind The Back | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | 5'9 | 6'9 | 86 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6.3 |
| Coby White | 5'9 | 6'9 | 85 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Jayson Tatum | 5'9 | 6'9 | 75 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 5'9 | 6'9 | 80 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Kyrie Irving | 5'9 | 6'4 | 90 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5.7 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 5'9 | 6'9 | 91 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5.7 |
| 24 more size-ups ranked | |||||||
This is a free preview of one move type. All 30 size-ups, the other 29 move types and the filtering and weighting are in Koza's full rankings.
NBA 2k27 Best Size Up, Breakdown Combos, Escape Moves and More
Koza has reviewed and ranked all dribble moves in NBA 2k27 to bring premium members the best recommendations. We have the fastest dribble moves for all heights and all positions ranked in order of effectiveness. The categories that each move are graded on change from dribble move to dribble move depending on what is most relevant.
Best Dribble Moves for All Heights and Positions
Filter the moves to only the moves your build qualifies for. Create your own custom ranking of each move by adjusting the weighting of each category. If you care more about Size ups and do not use behind the backs you can adjust the category weight and get recommended moves that prioritize size ups.
What are the best Dribble Moves on 2k27?
This page shows all the dribble moves we recommend player use to create shots off the dribble. We update this page as new and better animations get released each season. We recommend these dribble moves for Park and Pro Am / Rec.
NBA 2k27 Dribble Moves Tutorial
A full breakdown of the dribble moves themselves: how to use them, how customization works and which upgrades are worth it.
Best Dribble Moves by Build Height
A quick run through the moves worth using at each height, if you would rather watch it than read the table.
NBA 2K27 Dribble Moves FAQ
How do you quick stop in NBA 2k27?
A quick stop cancels your sprint momentum so you can go straight into a shot, a stepback or another dribble move instead of drifting past your defender and having to gather again. Koza demonstrates the 2k27 quickstop in the handcam tutorial on this page, where you can watch the stick and button timing directly.
What is a quick stop in NBA 2k27?
It is a movement cancel. Rather than decelerating out of a sprint, you kill the momentum immediately and are free to launch into your next move, which is what makes the quickstop useful for creating space for a jumper or chaining into a size-up.
Is the quickstop worth learning in NBA 2k27?
Yes, for anyone who creates their own shot. It is the quickest way to get from a drive into a jumper without giving a defender time to recover, and it chains directly into the size-ups, stepbacks and escape moves Koza2K ranks on this page.
What is the best signature size-up in NBA 2k27?
James Harden, at a 6.3 average, clear of everything else Koza2K grades. It scores a 7 in Crossover and a 6 in both Between The Legs and Behind The Back, needs 86 Ball Handle and works up to 6'9. Coby White, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander follow on 5.7.
What is the best size-up for a low Ball Handle build in NBA 2k27?
Jayson Tatum is the cheapest of the six size-ups above at 75 Ball Handle, averaging a 5.7 and working all the way up to 6'9, which makes it the easiest of the top tier to fit on a build. Koza grades cheaper options than that as well, and the full rankings let you filter every size-up down to the Ball Handle your build actually has.
How does 2KLab grade dribble moves in NBA 2k27?
Each move type is graded on its own animation categories, because what matters changes from move to move. Signature Size-Ups are graded on Crossover, Between The Legs and Behind The Back; Dribble Styles on Speedboost and Cross Launch; most of the other move types on a single Overall Grade. Each category is scored 1 to 10 and averaged into the aggregate that orders the table.
How many dribble moves does 2KLab rank in NBA 2k27?
735 moves across 30 move types. 2K27 split the ten categories of last season into thirty, so crossovers alone now break out into Crossover, Crossover Escape, Crossover Stepback and Misdirection Crossover, each graded separately. Dribble Style is gated by Speed with Ball; every other move type is gated by Ball Handle.
Do dribble moves change based on height in NBA 2k27?
Yes. Every move lists a height range alongside its attribute requirement. Most size-ups run from 5'9 to 6'9, some cap at 6'4 like Kyrie Irving, and a few are big-man only, like Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson starting at 6'5.
More NBA 2K27 Guides
Go to NBA2KLab YouTube →