.png){kind=small}
It is 2018 and the NBA 2K league is right around the corner. From January 1st to January 31st anyone that owns NBA 2K18 has the opportunity to try his luck and get 50 wins on the online Pro-Am circuit. Those 50 wins earns you an opportunity to enter the NBA 2K combine. There are going to be many players trying to get an opportunity to become a professional gamer. With only 85 spots available between the 17 confirmed NBA 2K League teams how can you stand out and get drafted?
Marketing
One of the more important sections here is building a fan base. NBA 2K teams are not only looking to have quality players, but are looking to make money off of those players. Some keys to building a fan base would be streaming your games online. You can do this with services like Twitch, Hitbox, Dailymotion Games, and YouTube Gaming to name a few. Twitch is the leader in online gaming streaming and it is safe to say will have a pretty big part of what is going to happen in the next few months with the NBA 2K League.
Broadcasting your play is not going to be enough to market yourself either. Create a Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube channel and maybe even a podcast to build up followers. Twitter is a useful tool because it is a place where you can interact with fans and the teams themselves. Each NBA 2K League team is active on Twitter and their managers are always asking about progress in the Pro-Am. This is the initial way for the decision makers to interact with the talent. They will be more inclined to check out a stream if that player has a fan base as well.
Another big part of marketing is being entertaining. This is not just about play in the game, but also about personality. When broadcasting games players should be fun to listen to. This can be different for everyone. Some of the joys about video games are the reactions of players when things are going right or wrong. It would help to avoid inappropriate language because players want to be marketable to as many fans as possible. It also helps not to belittle other players on either team because that shows immaturity. The best way to be entertaining is to make fun of yourself if something goes wrong or to have the pure enjoyment reaction when something goes right. Fans can tell honest, pure emotion, therefore if its going to be fake it better be very entertaining.
Position
Everyone wants to be the next LeBron James, but basketball is a team game that requires 5 distinct positions. One of the luxuries of NBA 2K is that players can pick their positions and the size of their avatars. It is easy to be the scoring winger with a ton of athleticism. Most gamers would probably pick those players though. Some of the more undervalued positions are the big men spots, namely the center and power forward positions. These are team reliant positions that should be focused on defense and rebounding. Even though scoring is fun, teams are surely going to look for players that can be assets on both sides of the court. Playing lock down defense and blocking shots will be a great asset in the NBA 2K League.
When looking at pure numbers, it makes sense to try to be a center because less gamers are going to want to play one of the least glamorous positions in basketball. Centers are underutilized and can add an extra element to basketball games. They can thrive off the pick and roll while being essential on defense. Top centers will be very useful in the NBA 2K League.
Teamwork
Basketball can be a bit of a selfish sport at times. Meaning games on the playground end up being about individual players more than team basketball. The players that succeed in the sport tend to be ones that buy into a team mentality. This is the same in NBA 2K. Being a team player will be an excellent factor. When it comes to playing against the best of the best, players will not be able to just run down the court like they would against a CPU or many players online. Finding a way to create space and move the ball will be essential to and NBA 2K League title. Scoring 60 points a game against bad competition will not be as useful as someone that shows they can move the ball around and find open teammates.
At the end of the day look at what NBA teams are looking for in their players. This is essentially what the NBA 2K League teams will want. Selfish individuals that are not marketable will end up by the wayside. If players can follow these ideas they will have a good shot at making an impression on the managers of the teams. The most important part is building a fan base. Even though the play on the court is important, people have to know who you are. To qualify for the combine players, need 50 Pro-Am wins. If no one knows that player has those wins, it will be really tough to be a part of the combine.
Check out OTGBasketball.com for more content on the NBA 2K League very soon.