NBA 2K23 has hit the shelves and basketball fans around the world are buying the latest edition of the annual NBA video game and dealing with the changes in the game now. One of the major changes has been shooting, as the developers have made shooting a lot more skill-based instead of luck-based.
- Ben Simmons – 58 3-Point Rating
- Zion Williamson – 70 3-Point Rating
- Giannis Antetokounmpo – 71 3-Point Rating
- Jimmy Butler – 71 3-Point Rating
- De’Aaron Fox – 72 3-Point Rating
- Scottie Barnes – 72 3-Point Rating
- Russell Westbrook -72 3-Point Rating
- Chris Paul – 74 3-Point Rating
- LeBron James – 79 3-Point Rating
- DeMar DeRozan – 79 3-Point Rating
- Next
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- The Top 15 3-Point Shooters In NBA 2K23: “Stephen Curry Is The King Of 3-Pointers With 99”
- The 10 Best Dunkers In NBA 2K23: “Ja Morant And Zion Williamson Are Tied At 97”
In NBA 2K22, if a low-rated 3-point shooter got a wide-open opportunity, there was a high chance for the shot to go in even without the shooter achieving a green release. In NBA 2K23, it has become almost impossible to get 3-pointers to fall without the shot being green.
Players below an 85 rating in outside shooting have become an increasingly risky prospect when it comes to using them in the game. Many star players boast high overall ratings but their below-80 ratings in shooting makes them not as consistent as they were in previous games. These are 10 star players that you may not want to shoot 3s with.
Ben Simmons – 58 3-Point Rating
Ben Simmons is an incredibly fun player to play with on 2K due to his physical attributes. He is one of the fastest players in the game and has enough strength and size to make drives to the rim easy. His defensive skill-set translates into the game, as he can guard all 5 positions if used correctly during a game.
The big drawback with him is his lack of shooting attributes. Simmons is one of the worst players to attempt a shot with in 2K especially after the changes to the shooting skill in the game. Timing a green release 3 with Simmons in a real-game situation is a massive challenge. If your opponent is giving you too much space because Simmons is a non-shooter, acing an attempt with Simmons will change the momentum of a game.
Zion Williamson – 70 3-Point Rating
Like Ben Simmons, Zion Williamson didn’t take the court last season. When we last saw a healthy Zion, we saw him try to attempt 3-pointers whenever possible. He debuted in the NBA with 4 3-pointers made in his debut, even though that was a false start for his shooting prowess. Nonetheless, Zion is incredibly fun to play with in 2K. It will be difficult for an average 2K player to drain 4 consecutive 3s with Zion as he did when he debuted.
Williamson is a one-of-a-kind athlete and 2K understands that. That is why going to the rim and bullying players out of the way is an easy task with Zion. Going on a 3-point shooting spree with the New Orleans Pelicans star will be tough, especially when Brandon Ingram, Devonté Graham, and C. J. McCollum are also amazing shooters in the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – 71 3-Point Rating
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the highest overall out of all players in NBA 2K23, but his shooting isn’t one of the reasons why he got to this point. While Giannis has gradually improved his shot over the years, it is just worthy of a 71 rating for now.
Giannis managed a 29.3% conversion rate on his 3.6 3-point attempts in a game, not an impressive mark by any means. Like Simmons, Giannis is incredibly fun to use, even more than Ben, because most of Antetokounmpo’s attributes are comfortably higher than Simmons. It includes his 3-point shot, which can be made only if you are left wide-open or you have terrific timing with his jump shot.
Jimmy Butler – 71 3-Point Rating
Jimmy Butler is arguably one of the best players in the world. Despite having high overall in the NBA 2K games, Butler’s skill isn’t always as fun to use as other players in his overall. Certain players can be deadly with Butler’s ability to do anything on the court offensively, but casuals may struggle with his driving not being as effective against bruising inside presences.
When that happens, a player can always depend on their shot. If you’re playing with the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler is not the guy who can depend on his shot. Butler attempts fewer 3s than the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and averages 0.5 made 3s a game. His jumper from outside the arc isn’t what makes him a top-10 player in the league, it is everything else that he can do on the court.
De’Aaron Fox – 72 3-Point Rating
One of the biggest criticism of De’Aaron Fox’s game has been his lack of shooting. Many believe that unless Fox learns to become a consistent 3-point shooter, the Sacramento Kings will continue struggling for success. His 72 3-point rating shows that NBA 2K23 doesn’t believe he has improved his shooting drastically, especially if he’s just 1 rating better than Zion Williamson.
The Sacramento Kings will have better shooting options, especially with the signings they made this summer. Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and more. As long as the real-life Fox starts draining consistent 3s, players using him on 2K23 won’t be doing that either. However, he is still one of the fastest players in the game, so driving to the rim is a fun treat with Fox.
Scottie Barnes – 72 3-Point Rating
In his rookie season, Scottie Barnes proved that he can be a swiss-army knife on the NBA court. Barnes can defend multiple positions and has a sound offensive game, coupled with ferocious defense. His offensive game doesn’t include 3-point shooting, as evidenced by his unwillingness and inability to get 3s to fall consistently.
Despite attempting fewer 3s than Giannis and averaging a similar percentage, NBA 2K23 has Barnes ranked ahead of Antetokounmpo by a sliver on the ratings. Barnes does have incredible potential and could improve his shooting ability over the course of his career, making him an even more dangerous player on the court.
Russell Westbrook -72 3-Point Rating
This may be a controversial rating on NBA 2K’s part. One of the biggest criticisms of Westbrook’s debut season with the Lakers was his lack of ability to stretch the floor. Many fans may have expected Westbrook to have a rating below 70 but 2K23 has stuck to the stats and given Westbrook a rating comparable to the shooting prowess of Giannis and Barnes.
Like Giannis and Barnes, Russ was a 29.8% shooter on a similar amount of attempts in 2021-22. The downside is that Westbrook is a point guard and plays a position where you expect the player to be able to shoot. His 72 rating for this statistic doesn’t cut it in 2K anymore with the increased challenges in making well-timed shots. With his overall rating also taking a dive this season, Westbrook may not be as exciting to use in 2K as he was a few seasons ago.
Chris Paul – 74 3-Point Rating
Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards in the history of basketball. While the man is still waiting to become an NBA champion, few people will doubt that he is aging like fine wine in the league. That is even more incredible considering 3-pointers have never been something the 6-foot point guard excelled at.
Paul was a 36% shooter from the 3-point arc last season but shoots them at a relatively low volume. He has just 3.1 attempts per game from beyond the arc in 2021-22, the fewest attempts he has averaged since his final season with the New Orleans Hornets in 2010-11. Paul is a mid-range assassin and a playmaking maestro, so players are better off using those skills instead of spotting up outside with CP3.
LeBron James – 79 3-Point Rating
The leader of the Los Angeles Lakers had the unfortunate distinction of being the best shooter on the Lakers last season by virtue of attempting 8 3-pointers a game and making 35.9% of them. This is unfortunate because no LeBron James team should be reliant on his 3-point shooting ability to stretch the floor. Regrettably, that was the case last season and will be the case this season with James’ 79 rating this season.
LeBron is a 96 overall and there are so many other ways to do damage with him. He is good for the occasional spot-up 3 in the game, but the best way to use him would be to create open looks for others and drive to the rim. You’ll never get a wide-open shot with LeBron, so the poor shot quality in the game coupled with the open looks you can generate for others, it may not be the wisest to keep shooting 3s with LBJ.
DeMar DeRozan – 79 3-Point Rating
DeMar DeRozan, having a 79 3-point rating, is quite shocking. Out of all the players on this list that played last season, DeRozan has the fewest attempted 3s per game. Only Ben Simmons and Zion Williamson would have fewer attempts than DeRozan if we include the 2020-21 season as well. The definition of a mid-range king, DeRozan has never taken pride in his 3-point shooting but has a rating higher than the others on this list.
LeBron had to carry the brunt of the Lakers’ outside shooting last season to be given a 79 and shares that rating with DeRozan, who averaged 1.9 attempts on 28% efficiency. Many of the forwards named before on this list have better percentages on a higher volume, which makes this baffling. Anyway, the Bulls have a sniper in Zach LaVine and DeRozan’s mid-range arsenal is unrivaled in NBA 2K23.
