Before NBA 2K22, the most uncommon position to see in online interactions was the power forward position. And the players had a right to abstain from it. Post moves were garbage, centers and guards dunked better, small forwards and shooting guards shot better, and every other position could hit the three better. Picking the power forward was like a contractual arrangement to be mediocre at best.

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Those days are thankfully over with completely revamped post-up systems, animations, and badges in NBA 2K22. Power forwards are back to being a force to be reckoned with. In just a few online games, the community is quickly arguing that the build just might be a little bit too strong.

Updated on October 26th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: It's hard to remember a time when the power forward was decent at the game. For years now, a power forward was just an undersized center or a slow small forward, incapable of blending the two meaningfully. When that ended this year, the power forward has become possibly the best position in the game. Good teams need power forwards in a bad way, and a headline has been added to this article regarding the best team situation. Another section was also created to discuss the importance of animations on this build in particular.

The Case For Playing A Post Scorer

NBA 2K22 Making A Post Fade Shot

To be very clear; the power forward has been a terrible position to play for a long time in the franchise. The best dunker build has been and still is a point guard, so they can't do a Blake Griffin impression. But nobody is in a position to benefit from this more from this year's bump to the post than the power forward. While other builds exist, they would play exactly as they have in years past, which is notoriously underpowered and disappointing.

Staying in the scope of this year, the post scorer build can knock down shots and get the most assists in the game without really trying. The clean accuracy thanks to the new meter and the crisp passing speaks for itself. Plus, this build is also one of the few capable of stopping opposing post scorers.

Mix It Up Between Shooting And Finishing

NBA 2K22 Splitting Between Shooting And Finishing As A Power Forward

There are three different pie charts that are split between a mix of shooting and finishing skills. Choose the chart that gives a bit more points to shooting rather than finishing. The post hook is an awesome move, but doesn't require as many points because it's generally executed when there is little to no defensive pressure.

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This chart will allow for a 95 maximum on the post fade skill after the rest of the build is completed. The dose of finishing makes it a threat to move in any direction. And although the playmaking and defense/rebounding are lower than these two primary skillsets, they will end up being strengths of the build down the line.

Split Between Strength And Vertical

NBA 2K22 Using Strength And Vertical As A Power Forward

Agility is quite useful for guards and small forwards, but power forwards gain the inside edge with strength and height, not with speed. The power forward does not need to outrun anyone, especially when playing from the post, so speed is mostly a junk stat. This build ends up being the strongest that a power forward can possibly be.

In online play, just be sure to play back on defense. The vertical leaping ability will help snag rebounds and blocks under the next, acting as a second center when it comes to protection in the paint. After a few games, teammates will find they prefer the mid-range and paint skills over another speedy guard.

Setting The Potential

NBA 2K22 Ideal Potential Attributes For A Power Forward

Close Shot

93

Driving Layup

71

Driving Dunk

40

Standing Dunk

42

Post Hook

85

Mid-Range Shot

51

Three-Point Shot

48

Free Throw

84

Post Fade

93

Pass Accuracy

66

Ball Handle

61

Post Control

75

Interior Defense

68

Perimeter Control

40

Lateral Quickness

59

Steal

62

Block

72

Offensive Rebound

67

Defensive Rebound

61

NBA 2K22 Post Fade Shot Released With Perfect Timing

The potential here is all about the badge count, which is a stratospheric 56. Many players that try to get this many badges usually end up with a non-functional build, but this one is an exception. Because post moves require playmaking, finishing, and shooting skills, there is a good investment into all three.

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It should be stressed that outside of perimeter defense, these stats aren't bad, either. Power forwards are supposed to be workhorses on the glass, so a weak perimeter defense isn't a big deal. Against power forwards who enjoy shooting threes, it's easy to drain their energy in the post and throw off their shooting after their stamina is drained.

Adjusting Physicals

NBA 2K22 Making A Seven Foot Tall Power Forward

Default statistics work best for most builds, but not this post scoring monster. By cranking up the height to a maximum of seven feet tall, the player gains a point in strength and whopping ten points in post control. Yes, this will slow the player down, but this, as already stated, isn't an issue.

NBA 2K22 Maxing Out The Weight On A Power Forward

Get the weight up to the top as well to add another point in strength. The vertical will die down substantially, but the power forward is going to use weight and height instead of leaping ability to create space.

NBA 2K22 Minimum Wingspan On A Seven Foot Power Forward

The cherry on top is to minimize the wingspan, which will then take strength to 93, the maximum possible for a power forward, and post fade shooting to 95, the maximum possible for all players. Additionally, the 85 post controls and the 84 post hook ensure that every single move in the post has the potential to be lethal. The shorter wingspan also speeds up shots, which will take advantage of a defender who got faked out.

Be A Post Scorer

NBA 2K22 Selecting The Post Scorer Takeover With A Power Forward

No surprises here. Post scoring is the build's entire purpose. Stronger backdowns mean that no other forward can stop the power forward from bumping all the way toward the basket. This will inevitably bring in help from other defenders, creating a wide-open man to pass to.

Critical Badges

NBA 2K22 Ideal Badges For A Power Forward
  • Backdown Punisher
  • Dream Shake
  • Dropstepper
  • Hook Specialist
  • Post Spin Technician

Conveniently, there are five badges that pertain to the post and that means the fifteen badge total can get gold in each category. Keep in mind that post hooks are not layups, though they are shot from the same range and might look the same. Do not feel compelled to select other layup badges and stick to the best finishing badges in the game.

NBA 2K22 Ideal Shooting Badges For A Power Forward
  • Blinders
  • Fade Ace
  • Hot Zone Hunter
  • Volume Shooter
  • Set Shooter

The usual knock on Hot Zone Hunter is that, while AI struggles to realize a hot zone, human players can lock the area down. But with the high strength, not even a human opponent can stop the player from getting into the preferred area.

NBA 2K22 Ideal Playmaking Badges For A Power Forward
  • Bail Out
  • Needle Threader
  • Bullet Passer
  • Post Playmaker
  • Unpluckable

Four badges deal with passing and one of them is exclusive to post scoring builds. A key component to making this build work is the Post Playmaker badge which gives players a boost to shooting after receiving a pass from someone in the post. Defenders will need to bring an extra player over to deal with this build, otherwise it's a guaranteed shot. When this happens, pass to the newly open man. With this badge, one of the best playmaking badges available, the shot is nearly guaranteed to land.

NBA 2K22 Ideal Defense Badges For A Power Forward
  • Intimidator
  • Post Lockdown

This builds only real weakness is an opponent who builds exactly the same way. A post fade can't be conventionally blocked and the right badges and timing virtually guarantee the shot won't miss. The only way to interrupt this process is with the Post Lockdown badge, which levels the playing field a bit. This build might not have all of the best defensive badges, but it has the big two that matter the most for power forwards.

Best Team To Play For

NBA 2K22 Best Players On The Roster For The Chicago Bulls

The idea behind picking the ideal team for a power forward is to play for one that has a glaring need at point guard but a solid supporting cast. There are three teams that have a sub-80 power forward while the rest are above 80, and perhaps the best of these are the Chicago Bulls, whose starting power forward is the lowest-rated starter in the entire game.

There is obviously room for flexibility and taste here, but make sure to never play for a team with a superstar power forward. The game favors overall rating over performance, so it can take literal years to get off of the bench, even if the MyPlayer is winning MVP awards the entire time.

Ideal Animations

NBA 2K22 Selecting The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Post Hook

The default animations aren't bad, but they wield pedestrian results. Every player, regardless of position, needs to be designing a custom jumper, equipping the best dribble moves, using great dunk packages, and selecting the perfect shots.

That last one is critical to this build, as the various post shots are all utilized by this build. Good statistics don't make up for the many bad animations that inexplicably release with the wrong shooting hand or make it easy for defenders to block.

NBA 2K22 was released on September 9th, 2021, and is available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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