Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five poses five questions regarding historical teams for both the community and developers to consider.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the historical content in NBA 2K is one of the series’ biggest triumphs. Sure, it isn’t perfect, as missing players and inaccurate ratings and data do impact the experience of playing with and against historical teams. Still, NBA 2K has managed to break new ground as far as including retro content. Older games may have included a handful of playable Legends, with NBA Starting Five 2005 even featuring a small selection of classic squads. However, as far as overall depth and scope is concerned, the NBA 2K series has done it the best.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t critique the historical teams and content in NBA 2K, and suggest feasible improvements. In determining how this content could be better, we need to ask some important questions. There are different approaches and standards that can be applied here, and while it’s unlikely that gamers will ever be in complete agreement, I believe there might be more common ground here than we think. Additionally, some of these questions may be pertinent to modders who are working on their own historical roster projects. So, with that in mind, what are some of the most pressing questions to consider regarding historical teams in NBA 2K?

1. Should All-Decade/All-Time Teams Have Duplicates?

One of the interesting differences between historical content in NBA Live and NBA 2K over the years is how they’ve handled All-Decade teams. In NBA Live, there were no duplicate players. All-time greats who could’ve conceivably been included in more than one squad given the span of their career and prime were simply assigned to the decade that felt most appropriate, or added the most balance between squads. In NBA 2K, All-Decade teams have featured younger and older versions of players. On top of that, players who swapped conferences during their prime also had duplicates. For example, NBA 2K10’s East and West 90s All-Stars each have a Shaquille O’Neal.

NBA 2K’s All-Time teams likewise feature duplicates of stars whose prime was spent with more than one franchise. As far as community rosters featuring such teams, the approach is at the discretion of the creator. So, should duplicates be allowed? I think it should be judged on a case-by-case basis, but generally speaking, I’d suggest that it is acceptable for All-Time squads. With All-Decade teams, it depends on whether there are East and West squads. If so, it can take up a roster spot of a deserving player, and thus lack variety. There’s value in both approaches, and All-Time teams without any duplicates is a challenging concept. However, I’d say that duplicates are usually fine.

2. How Many Missing Players Should Disqualify A Classic Team?

I wouldn’t want to see NBA 2K become too strict when it comes to questions like this. On one hand, part of me would like to say that since quality beats quantity, a team that cannot field a viable lineup without fictional placeholders isn’t ideal for inclusion. Realistically, that rules out too many of the classic teams currently in NBA 2K! I’ll say that a good rule of thumb is the ability to include at least nine to ten players. Ten would be ideal, allowing for a sub at every position. Naturally, a full roster would be great whenever it’s feasible, and 2K should strive for that. As long as we don’t have too many John Smiths that are rated higher than real bench players, it’s a viable team.

In fact, the more pressing question is “who is missing”, rather than “how many players are missing”. If 2K can’t include at least four accurate starters for a classic team, then it’s questionable as to whether it should be added to the roster. I’m tempted to set the bar at all five starters, but there’s precedent for four, and it can work. Obviously, if the star player and main attraction can’t be licensed – think Charles Barkley or Reggie Miller – then it goes without saying that there’s little point featuring such a team. The bottom line is that classic teams should be appealing and fun to play with. You might be able to get away with a thinner roster, but not if the biggest names are absent.

3. When Should Classic Teams Be Removed?

None of us enjoy seeing content disappear from basketball games, but just as it’s fair to question whether a retro team should be added, it makes sense to consider whether a squad should remain. Once again, there’s a precedent here, as a number of classic teams have ended up on the chopping block after a few years. Licensing rights are obviously a primary factor here, just as they are when considering adding a new team. Thus, the question becomes “if this team were being added for the first time, would it be worth it with the players that have been licensed”. It’d be a shame to lose access to those players of course, so ideally a replacement classic team could be assembled.

That brings us to the other reason to consider removing a classic team: replacing it with a better choice. Certain historical teams have been grandfathered in, owing to the fact they were originally added for the first Jordan Challenge or NBA’s Greatest. This has led to redundancy, as well as teams that aren’t as historically significant as viable alternatives would be. Whether it’s replacing the 1994 Rockets with the 1995 squad, switching the 1998 Spurs for the 1999 Championship team, or making sure that every team has an opponent from the same season, it’s worth considering the removal of certain squads. It would keep the selection fresh, with the most interesting choices.

4. Do Current Players Belong On All-Time Teams?

Yes and no. Considering that there are active players who are undoubtedly among the best to ever play for their respective teams, the All-Time squads shouldn’t just be for retirees. With that being said, I’d recommend that developers and modders alike be judicious as far as including current stars on the All-Time teams, unless their tenure and/or performance truly makes them a top player in franchise history. I don’t think the criteria should be too rigid here, especially if there are spots to fill on the All-Time teams, and there’s no better choice among the licensed retired stars. At the same time, I would like to see preference given to retired players who aren’t available elsewhere.

This is how players like Rex Chapman and Cedric Ceballos have become exclusive to MyTEAM, though I imagine in many cases that’s also by design. However, it doesn’t feel right when Jayson Tatum is being heralded as one of the top 15 players in the history of the Boston Celtics over legends like Sam Jones. I understanding wanting to mix past and present on the All-Time teams, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of fair historical rankings. On a similar note, there are some strange choices, including Stephen Jackson being on the All-Time Hornets ahead of the aforementioned Rex Chapman, despite Rex being their first ever pick, and Jax’s relatively short stint.

5. What Else Can Be Done With Historical Teams?

So, we have classic teams, All-Time Teams, and All-Decade teams. What else can be done with NBA 2K’s historical content? For a start, definitely keep the MyNBA Eras rosters accessible outside of the mode. After a false start when they were accidentally accessible via a debug menu, those rosters are available in Play Now as of the latest patch, as they should be. Beyond that, I’d love to see a Legends Pool similar to the one in NBA Live, so that copies of historical players could be added to teams without having to ruin any of the original squads. This could potentially be an extension of the Player DNA feature, creating a perfect clone of historical players for a custom roster.

There’s also the possibility of historical East and West teams from memorable All-Star games, all-time East and West squads, and the return of concepts such as Draft Class and shoe brand teams. If all of the necessary players are licensed, there could be a bevy of former Dream Teams/Team USA squads. There could be separate All-Time Thunder and All-Time SuperSonics teams. A custom/Create-a-Team feature would be great to have anyway, but centring it on assembling new and alternative classic teams could be fun. Most of all however, I’d like to see proper attention paid to retro player ratings, tendencies, animations, and so on. That lack of accuracy harms their appeal.

What’s your take on these questions? What else would you like to see out of the historical teams and content in NBA 2K? Let me know in the comments, and as always, feel free to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum! That’s all for this week, so thanks for checking in, have a great weekend, and please join me again next Friday for another Five.

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