NBA 2K23: Best Center (C) Build and Tips - Outsider Gaming (2024)

Centers seem like an extinct species in our modern NBA, at least in the traditional back-to-the-basket types. They likely are the least used position when creating a player in NBA 2K. However, that doesn’t mean you still can’t find value in building a center, especially when considering most 2K users play with guards and smaller forwards. This gives you a size advantage that you can use to your advantage Specifically, the modern center looks like a stretch five, a player who can defend and rebound at a high level yet also shoot lights out from deep.

Thus, we present the INSIDE-OUT GLASS-CLEANER build. It offers a rare blend of shooting and defense to make for an extremely skilled big man. Although defense is top priority for big men, there’s no sign of slippage in offensive skillset. The build has amazing shooting touch from all levels on the court whether it’s a soft touch around the basket or a beautiful three-point stroke. With this build, your player will have shades of Joel Embiid, Jusuf Nurkić, Jaren Jackson Jr., Deandre Ayton, and Myles Turner. If you desire a stretch five who can serve as a defensive anchor in the paint while providing a real scoring punch, then this build is right up your alley.

Overview

• Position: Center
• Height, Weight, Wingspan: 7’0”, 238 lbs, 7’6’’
• Finishing skills to prioritize: Close Shot, Driving Dunk, Standing Dunk, Post Control
• Shooting skills to prioritize: Three-Point Shot
• Playmaking skills to prioritize: Pass Accuracy
• Defense/Rebounding skills to prioritize: Interior Defense, Block, Defensive Rebound
• Physical skills to prioritize: Strength, Stamina
• Top Badges: Bully, Agent 3, Anchor, Work Horse
• Takeover: See The Future, Glass Clearing Dimes
• Best Attributes: Driving Dunk (85), Standing Dunk (90), Three-Point Shot (84), Block (93), Defensive Rebound (93), Strength (89)
• NBA Player Comparisons: Joel Embiid, Jusuf Nurkić, Jaren Jackson, Jr., Deandre Ayton, Myles Turner

Body profile

At seven feet tall, you can impose your will on smaller and weaker players with ease. At the same time, you’re relatively light given your height, keeping you nimble on your feet. This will help you cover ground easily and aid your defensive efforts to be a lynchpin on that end of the floor. More importantly, your shot-making capability is preserved, which is key for the modern NBA. This multifaceted center build puts you in the one percent of unique players. The body shape to go with here is solid, but it really is up to your preference.

Attributes

The Inside-Out Glass Cleaner emphasizes defense and securing rebounds first and foremost. However, the offensive bag this build has can’t be understated. You have great shooting touch from the three-point line and a plethora of post-moves to abuse defenders in the paint. Though this requires more skill from the user, these are also very high-percentage shots so by mastering post-moves, you can gain a serious advantage against the opposition.

Finishing attributes

Close Shot: 80
Driving Layup: 66
Driving Dunk: 85
Standing Dunk: 90
Post Control: 70

Your center’s finishing attributes will feature 80 Close Shot, 85 Driving Dunk, and 90 Standing Dunk, allowing you to combine your towering height to finish over anybody. On top of this, you have 70 Post Control, which gives you an improved ability to operate out of the post and back down defenders. With 21 badge points, the build is a beast around the rim and on the block. You’ll have two Hall of Fame badges, five gold badges, eight silver badges, and one bronze badge. Like in other builds, the Bully badge is the most important one to equip in order to capitalize on the 89 Strength.

Shooting attributes

Mid-Range Shot: 71
Three-Point Shot: 84
Free Throw: 67

As a stretch five, your value from the outside will pretty much solely rely on your ability to drain threes. As such, your 84 Three-Point Shot will afford you deep range that will keep the defense guessing. With 18 badge points, you have access to five Hall of Fame badges, six gold badges, four silver badges, and one bronze badge. It’s rare for players standing at seven feet tall to be able to shoot, but your build truly will truly be unique.

Playmaking attributes

Pass Accuracy: 60
Ball Handle: 38
Speed With Ball: 25

With this build, you will be doing very little ball handling, if at all. With four badge points and a 60 Pass Accuracy, playmaking isn’t a skill your player will be dabbling in very much except in one specific case. Avoid putting the ball on the floor, but still look to spread the ball around to your teammates out of the post.

Defense & Rebounding attributes

Interior Defense: 79
Perimeter Defense: 43
Steal: 61
Block: 93
Offensive Rebound: 77
Defensive Rebound: 93

As a center, your defense is why you’ll be recognized and celebrated. With 79 Interior Defense and 93 Block, your player has the tools to be a tenacious disruptor on the defensive end. You’ll be able to stifle the opposition on the inside and sniff out shot attempts in the paint by smaller defenders. Aside from defense, every rebound will be yours for the taking. Complemented by a 93 Defensive Rebound, your height at seven feet and a 7’6” wingspan means there won’t be many players you come across with a bigger frame than you. Look for the outlet pass after nabbing a defensive rebound, which may be your easiest way to gain easy assists. With one Hall of Fame badge, six gold badges, and six bronze badges, you have all the tools to put you in the best position to succeed.

Physical attributes

Speed: 73
Acceleration: 65
Strength: 89
Vertical: 82
Stamina: 88

Here, your bruising physicality will run amok against typically smaller players that 2K users play with as well as the CPU during MyCareer games. This is where your size and 89 Strength will aid your player’s efforts to bang down low well. It will also help you out-muscle the opposition to gain crucial offensive rebounds. Your 88 Stamina also means you won’t tire easily, leaving you on the floor for longer periods and more minutes overall.

Takeovers

See The Future is a takeover that will give your Glass-Cleaner build an added boost, allowing you to see where missed shots will land ahead of time. There won’t be a rebound you won’t be able to secure, defensively and offensively. To complement this, when you pull down a rebound, Glass Clearing Dimes will boost your teammates’ offensive abilities when you pass it to them. This will incentivize kick outs and make you a better team player. Think of yourself as peak Kevin Love hurling passes three-quarters of the way down the court for an easy bucket.

Best badges to equip

Whereas most big men are relegated to the paint, combining these badges will allow your player to score inside and outside, a rarity. This is where the Joel Embiid comparisons come in because you can bang down low on the block yet also extend your range to the three-point line. Along with this, your size allows you to maximally protect the paint and grab boards.

Best Finishing badges

2 Hall of Fame, 5 Gold, 8 Silver, and 1 Bronze with 21 potential badge points.

• Fast Twitch: With this badge, it’ll speed up your player’s ability to get standing layups and dunks off before the defense has time to contest. Smaller defenders will try to pick your pocket as a bigger player so this will prevent this and give you easy buckets. As a Tier 3 badge, you must have ten badge points between Tiers 1 and 2 to unlock.
• Masher: Your player will have an improved ability to finish well around the rim, especially over smaller defenders. Your height, wingspan, and Strength attribute makes it highly likely that you’ll not only finish at the bucket, but finish through contact for easy and one opportunities.
• Bully: The Bully badge gives you a premium skill in terms of initiating contact and making defenders bump off of you. With your 89 Strength and seven foot height, your player will be very tough to defend in the paint. You’ll be able to back down most players while wreaking havoc on smaller players on a mismatch.
• Rise Up: This badge will increase the likelihood of your player dunking or posterizing your opponent when standing in the painted area. This is vital to your paint scoring prowess. It also helps that your player will have a 90 Standing Dunk, their best Finishing attribute, making you even more dominant thanks to this badge.

Best Shooting badges

5 Hall of Fame, 6 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze with 18 potential badge points.

• Catch & Shoot: Your three-point shot is your best shot making ability. Thus, this badge will give you a significant boost to your shooting attributes whenever you receive a pass. This scenario is likely to happen because guards will typically be the one getting you the ball. The pick-and-pop can be surgical should you receive a clean pass with space behind the arc.
• Deadeye: When your player takes jump shots and a defender closes out on you, you will receive less of a penalty from a shot contest. This is important because you can’t shoot off the dribble and aren’t as mobile, so you don’t want your shot to be heavily affected by smaller guards flying around the court.
• Agent 3: Since your outside shooting will strictly be from the three-point arc, it’s important to enlist this badge as it will improve your ability to make pull-up or spin shots from three-point range. While you probably won’t be hitting spin shot threes, pairing Deadeye with Agent 3 as you take pull ups and set jumpers will enhance your chances of sinking the shot, even with your 84 Three-Point Shot.
• Limitless Range: Being able to extend your range will immensely aid your efforts to be an excellent three-point shooter. As a less mobile big player, you won’t really be able to move much behind the arc, so extending your range is crucial to getting your shot off and creating space.

Best Playmaking badges

3 Silver and 6 Bronze with 4 potential badge points.

• Post Playmaker: This really is your best shot at playmaking. When you’re backing down players in the post, you want to be able to hit open shooters when the defense starts to close in on you. Thus, when passing out of the post or after an offensive rebound, this badge will give your teammates a shot boost.

Best Defense and Rebounding badges

1 Hall of Fame, 6 Gold, and 6 Bronze with 25 potential badge points.

• Anchor: With your player’s 93 Block, equipping this badge will increase the ability to block shots and protect the rim. No easy baskets will be allowed on your watch and opponents will be deterred from driving in the paint. Just being present should be enough to deter most players, but you can remind them of their futile efforts should they try.
• Pogo Stick: As a glass-cleaner, you need to be able to secure rebounds from every angle. Sometimes, however, smaller guards can strip the ball before you can go back up with the ball after an offensive rebound. Thus, this badge allows your player to quickly go back up for another jump upon landing whether it’s after a rebound, a block attempt, or even a jump shot. This is crucial should you bite on a shot fake on defense, allowing you to recover in enough time to still contest the shot.
• Post Lockdown: This badge strengthens your player’s ability to effectively defend moves in the post, with an increased chance at stripping the opponent. This taps into your player’s 79 Interior Defense and allows you to be a brick wall in the paint. Should they get too deep, your Anchor badge will aid in your post defense.
• Work Horse: Being a glass-cleaner is equivalent to being a work horse on the glass. With this badge, your player’s speed and ability to get loose balls over opponents will be increased. Since you aren’t fast, relying on your size to turn the tide is the prudent strategy.

What you’ll get from the Inside-Out Glass-Cleaner build

Ultimately, this center build does a lot of things well. Mimicking Joel Embiid’s game, your player will have an offensive toolset that is rare for big men: a soft touch around the glass with post moves AND an effective three-point stroke. This truly makes this build an inside-out scorer.

On the other end, your player will be a stout interior defender who is able to send shots flying and provide needed paint protection. Lastly, you’ll be able to secure all those rebounds, especially on the offensive end, making you a player that other 2K users will love to have by their side.