Only the most dedicated gamers are going to unlock the best Dark Matter cards in NBA 2K23 by committed playing. The majority with these cards will need to fork over loads of cash. But a whole team full of 90+ players? Yes, that's something gamers can do within a month or two.
The trick to knowing who to target. Players need to balance saving up some somebody expensive with investing in the team to make that savings process go faster. It's a good idea to spend the first month of NBA 2K23's My Team acquiring these cards first.
A special thank you to the folks over at 2kdb.net for keeping the database of cards up to date!
10 Fred Jones
Fred Jones has all the stats of a small forward with the height of a shooting guard. This puts players in an interesting predicament as his 6'4" height seems to indicate that he should move to his secondary position to make the most use of him.
Small forwards are supposed to do a bit of everything but nobody says that shooting guards can't do the same. Look at Michael Jordan after all. With at least one gold badge in every category and a Hall of Fame Limitless Takeoff badger, gamers have the freedom to move him round and know Jones will succeed wherever he's placed.
9 Zion Williamson
At 6'6", Zion Williamson is perhaps a bit on the short side when it comes to power forwards, but he makes up for it in athletic ability All of his attributes in athleticism at 80 or greater, giving him a rare mix of speed and strength.
This is highlighted by his offensive prowess at finishing. He possesses every finishing badge in the game to go with a Hall of Fame Limitless Takeoff badge. Whether dunking or getting in close with some post moves, only a total powerhouse can contain the damage Williamson is capable of.
8 Marcus Smart
The issue with most point guards, even great Galaxy Opal cards, is that they tend to be very bad on the defensive end. Even the best are hardly superstars in this area. Marcus Smart is a breath of fresh air as he gets a sky-high 96 for his defense.
All but one of his gold badges are at that end of the floor, making him a constant threat to steal the ball for some fastbreak points. His Hall of Fame Challenger badge, new this year, gives opponents a poor chance of landing shots when he's around.
7 Tyson Chandler
Gamers can't play every position on defense at the same time. As a result, they tend to favor cards with high defensive statistics to compensate for the lack of total control on that side of the ball. This is most true for protecting the paint with a center.
Tyson Chandler is the card to have for this mentality. He's still great at finishing with an all-red interior and some great finishing badges, but what steals the show is that 95-rated defense. The cherry on top of the whole thing is that Hall of Fame Anchor badge
6 Julius Randle
Julius Randle has all but two finishing badges, making his presence known on the interior in a ferocious way. All of his attributes when it comes to scoring in close are a minimum of 80, so his attributes back up his play style.
One of the most important things to notice about Randle is his red zone from all points on the inside. Many inside scorers prefer to use their right or left hand, but Randle is comfortable abusing his top-tier finishing badges regardless of which side he approaches from.
5 Kevin Love
Kevin Love is already a problem in thanks to his 6'10" stature at power forward. If that's not enough of an advantage, check out his even distribution of badges across shooting, finishing, playmaking, and defense/rebounding.
His Hall of Fame badge in Post Playmaking ensures that when he's not scoring from the post himself, he'll be passing to an open man who can make the easy score. It's one of the best playmaking badges in the game and should be exploited at every opportunity.
4 Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond aims the be the perfect build for a center by investing in only defense and finishing. Outside of these two, he only has one silver badge when it comes to shooting or playmaking. He's not well-rounded, but that's the perk of this card.
As a pure center, gamers need somebody who protects the interior and scores from in close. His rebounding on offense and defense is 92+, enabling gamers to take more risky shots knowing there's a good chance they'll get a second try.
3 Chris Mullin
Players who try to make the best three-point shooter build will be in awe of what Chris Mullin can do. Aside from Comeback Kid, Mullin has every shooting badge in the game at gold level or higher, with a Catch And Shoot badge at Hall of Fame level.
Besides shooting from in close, he has an 89 or better in all shooting categories. He's listed as a small forward primarily, but at 6'7", move him to shooting guard for a more interesting mismatch.
2 Stephen Curry
Ready for a very non-shocking fact? The Stephen Curry Amethyst card is really good at shooting. He has not only the best shooting badges, he has every shooting badge. Each one is ranked silver or higher, culminating in a Hall of Fame Catch And Shoot badge.
He's got a completely red zone from everywhere outside of the arc. Curry is the best three-point shooter in NBA history and those who have this card should let their opponents know early and often that this is the truth.
1 John Stockton
If players are going to make the best point guard build, they should use the template for John Stockton. Of the five stats measured in an NBA performance, Stockton leads in two of them all-time (assists and steals). His card lives up to the hype.
None of his playmaking or shooting attributes are lower than an 87, which is really something for a point guard. Tack on his Unpluckable badge at Hall of Fame level and he's a ball handler who cans tick it to the best point guards at any given moment.
NBA 2K23 is available now for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.