In NBA 2K21, gamers can take their MyPlayer build online to put their Paint Beast or Playmaking Shot Creator to the test against other players. Whether it's 5 on 5 in The Rec, or 3 on 3 in The Neighborhood, good Badges make a for an ideal build.

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While Badge choice is usually dependant on position and playstyle, there are some Badges that every build should try to take advantage of when competing online. With the current meta in 2K21, Badges that affect turnovers, contested shots, and Team Takeover prove to provide the greatest benefits.

Contact Finisher

The Contact Finisher Badge NBA 2K21

Contact Finisher is a Finishing Badge that boosts the ability to finish field goal attempts through defensive contact. This Badge will activate when attempting a contact lay-up or contact dunk.

It's common to have a Paint Beast or other effective post defender on the opposing team, and scoring against a build specializing in protecting the rim can be tricky. This Badge will make slashing to the hoop a more viable option, and necessitate more effort and execution from defenders.

Slithery Finisher

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Slithery Finisher is a Finishing Badge that increases the ability to avoid defenders while gathering the ball and finishing at the rim. This Badge will activate when attempting a lay-up or dunk around defenders.

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While some players want to posterize defenders and send them to the hardwood floor, avoiding defenders entirely can yield a much easier shot attempt. When the opposing team packs the paint, this is a great Badge for slashers to dissect the defense on the way to the hoop.

Hot Zone Hunter

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Hot Zone Hunter is a Shooting Badge that boosts percentages for players shooting from their Hot Zones, which players can check in their Player Card. This Badge will activate when taking a jump shot within a Hot Zone.

While perfect jump shot timing will cause any unblocked shot to go in the net, even near-perfect timing can be surprisingly fruitless in online modes. To that end, this is simply one of the Badges that provides the greatest boost to a player's shooting percentage.

Range Extender

The Range Extender Badge in NBA 2K21

Range Extender is a Shooting Badge that allows players to effectively shoot from greater distances without suffering a shooting penalty. This Badge will activate on any three-point or mid-range jumper.

Space to shoot can be hard to come by, with many gamers having good defensive anticipation and help-side defense. This Badge can allow players to unlock their inner Steph Curry, and splash 3s from well beyond the arc. As defenders typically are most wary of 3-point shots and slashes to the rim, long twos can also be a shooter's secret sweet spot in which to score.

Unpluckable

The Unpluckable Badge in NBA 2K21

Unpluckable is a Playmaking Badge that reduces the chances of having the ball stolen from the ball handler. This badge will activate when an opposing player attempts to steal the ball from the user.

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This is nearly a must-have for any guard or wing whose style involves a lot of dribbling around the defense. 2K21 allows for opponents to become rather spammy with their steal attempts, unfortunately. While well-timed double-teams or proper position and timing from on-ball defenders can lead to unavoidable turnovers, this Badge will help deal with other dozen steal attempts a ball-handler is likely to encounter during a game.

Dimer

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Dimer is a Playmaking Badge that boosts the shot percentage of an open teammate after catching a pass. This Badge will activate when passing to an open teammate who then takes a shot shortly after.

For the beloved "pass-first" Point Guards or Centers like Nikola Jokić who like to feed open shooters off rebounds and double-teams, this Badge helps pile up the assists. Considering how slim the margins are for accurate shooting in 2k21's online modes, synergizing both shooting and passing badges for greater shot percentages can yield a competitive advantage.

Intimidator

The Intimidator Badge in NBA-2K21

Intimidator is a Defense/Rebounding Badge that decreases the shot percentages of opponents who attempt a field goal around a defender who has this Badge. This Badge will activate whenever an opponent attempts a shot, lay-up, or dunk near the player.

This is one of the best defensive Badges in the game, as it greatly increases the effectiveness of shot contests, and will even affect shots in the proximity of a defender with Intimidator. It's no less useful online, where nearly unguardable Playmaking Shot Creators can speed around to open spots and pull up for a jumper in cartoonish fashion.

Pick Dodger

The Pick Dodger Badge in NBA 2K21

Pick Dodger is a Defense/Rebounding Badge that allows defenders to maneuver around screens more effectively. This Badge will activate whenever the player is screened on defense.

Whether the opposing team utilizes screens as part of their offense or not can be a coin flip, but they're a staple of basketball offenses for a reason. Getting screened (even by a guard) can create a lot of space for the opposing offense, and this Badge greatly reduces the effect picks will have on players.

Rim Protector

The Rim Protector Badge in NBA-2K21

Rim Protector is a Defense/Rebounding Badge that improves the user's effectiveness of attempted blocks, provides unique block animations, and provides a boost to Team Takeover after a successful block.

Opposing teams in 2k21 will often feature at least one effective slasher and they'll likely be too difficult to keep from scoring just by placing one's feet and getting one's hands in the air. For bigs who take pride in being their team's last line of defense, the boost to Team Takeover is merely a nice bonus.

Showtime

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Showtime is a Finishing Badge that gives a boost to Team Takeover when completing an And-1 or flashy dunk. As this would imply, this Badge will activate when completing an And-1 or flashy dunk.

This is perhaps the best Badge for teams who want to get their Takeover as quickly as possible. Having the whole team get their Takeover can lead to a scoring run that effectively decides the game. Whether on the fast break or the receiving end of an alley-oop, this Badge will add tangible benefits to the momentum a spectacular play would normally provide.

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