How is the Pro Stick evolving for NBA 2K21?

The Pro Stick has been a staple of the NBA 2K franchise for years, dating back to the days of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Pro Stick will be returning for NBA 2K21, but according to the franchise's lead gameplay developer, this will be a little different than what players have become used to in the past.

In a blog post from the developer on the NBA 2K Reddit page, NBA 2K Gameplay Director Mike Wang said that after years of not making any changes to the Pro Stick, the development team saw a great opportunity. with NBA 2K21 to freshen things up. In previous games, players could flick RS / R3 in any direction to take a photo. Wang said this prevents the NBA 2K team from getting the most out of the stick, as it is also used as a “full” dribble stick.

Now players will have the RS / R3 offset down to be able to shoot. Moving the RS / R3 stick left or right will allow players to evade dribbling moves. Pushing the right stick up will allow players to access signature sizes.

Here are the full details on the controls of the new Pro Stick:

• Hold RS / R3 - Jump Shot
• Hold RS / R3 up - signature sizes
• Hold RS / R3 left / right - Escape dribble moves
• Tap RS / R3 - Fast 1 to 1 dribbling moves
• Tap RS / R3 with spring - Fast dribbling movements

According to Wang, not only should dribbling moves benefit from the shifting, but so should jump shots and rim finishing. This year, the shot counter changes from a sync bar to a target window when using the Pro Stick to shoot. Now, rather than trying to stop the shot counter when you hit the perfect window, you can just adjust the Pro Stick in real time to hit the aim point.

And when it comes to layups, Wang recommends players swing the right stick quickly to move the aiming tick toward the center of the target. This in turn will help players overcome shooting competitions and will also help finish with contact.