NBA 2K23: Best Budget Players for MyTeam (September 2022)

The NBA 2K23 version of MyTeam can quickly become expensive. If you’re trying to keep up with the Joneses and have all the top-notch players, you’re probably going to have to spend quite a bit of real money or get ridiculously lucky. Luckily, if you know where to look, you can actually find some players that perform almost as well as these expensive players without spending any money. Below we’ve rounded up some of our favorite budget players as of September 19th.

Related: How to earn VC fast in NBA 2K23

Which budget players are worthwhile in NBA 2K23 MyTeam?

The idea of ​​budget players means different things to different people. For our purposes we only consider players that you can get for under 10,000 MT. If even that is too much for you, we also list a few free options you can earn by playing for each position. You can also look at the Token Rewards players to see if any of them fit your needs. Let’s take a look at the best budget players in MyTeam.

Point guards with the best budget

We’d love to include the new Intensity Marcus Smart here, but it’s still around 25,000 MT on the market. As such, our budget choice of choice for this position is still Season 1’s Chauncey Billups. He has the speed to hit the point and peck and roll effectively, and his shot is good enough that you’ll consistently hit him from deep be able. The only other option is Mark Jackson from season 1, but you really only use him for his duo with Rik Smits to boost the big man’s stats.

For free options, Takeover Donovan Mitchell is your best bet. However, it is difficult to get and will not be available after September 20th. Aside from him, we really love starter Ja Morant. Be sure to get his Shooting Evo if you want to get the best out of him as a presenter. If you want to get into Domination, you can pick up Terry Rozier III. Scary Terry has one of the smoothest jumpers in the game so far, making him a great option to get off the bench when you need a few points quickly.

Best Budget Shooting Protection

No new budget options were added in Week 2, meaning this position pretty much starts and ends with Season 1’s Robert Reid. At 6’8″, Reid is a monster in this position, easily pinning down the opposing team’s best perimeter player. He can also finish on the edge, making him a good pick and roll player. The only other player we would really consider is Season 1’s Desmond Mason, whose slashing ability is not to be scoffed at.

Of course, if you want a free option, you can contact Starter Jimmy Butler. He’s an inch shorter than Reid but also plays solid defense. If you pre-ordered, chances are you also have either Devin Booker or Michael Jordan, both of which are good options for the position. Finally, takeover Andre Iguodala is quite a grind, but he’s among the best players in the game on both SG and SF.

Small forwards with the best budget

The Small Forward position is currently one of the strongest in NBA 2K23. Our current budget favorite is Shades Of Jeremy Sochan. His Evo is a bit of a pain because it requires a lot of steals, but once you get him on a Diamond he’s an exceptional defender who can strike when needed. Aside from him, we like Season 1’s Kelly Tripucka’s ability to spread the ground and green shots.

For free players, you can use both Butler and SG here. Otherwise, unless you’ve landed a pre-order package with Xavier McDaniel or are ready to grind hard for Takeover Iguodala, your options are limited. You could use Toni Kukoc from the Season Pass, but we like him a lot better on PF.

Power forwards with the best budget

We’re big fans of Shades Of Paulo Banchero here. He has a large physique, which makes him a great pick and roll role player and one of the better defenders in this position. Also, his Evo is the easiest of the first three Shades Of Rookies. We also love Limitless Scottie Barnes here. You can turn him down to SF too, but we love his speed on defense and the ease with which he roleplays on offense.

As for free options, you’re probably looking at players from the Season Pass. Both Tonic Kukoc and Bill Cartwright play decent positions. Kukoc is more of a stretch four while Cartwright is just a massive body. He may be slow and has the weirdest free throw animation in the game, but he finishes well on the edge and clogs the paint on defense. We’re only a few XP away from Horace Grant, so can’t recommend him with first-hand knowledge, but he looks like a decent option if all you need is a big body.

The best budget centers

Unsurprisingly, we’re playing with a different Shades Of player here. As long as you don’t need a shooter at the position, Jalen Duren fills in the role of the big-body defender who can roll with the best of ’em. Both Shades Of Andre Drummond and Intensity Tyson Chandler fill this role as well, so you can pick whichever you like best out of these three. We like Duren best, but have seen a lot of people run Chandler because he’s an inch taller and a slightly better rebounder. You really can’t go wrong with them.

Of course, for free options, you can opt for Stater Joel Embiid. We like Embiid’s speed on both sides of the ball, especially when you pick up his Athletic Evo. Otherwise, you can grab the Shaquille O’Neal collector’s reward by collecting 30 player cards. Sure, he’s just a big body, but that’s enough for this point. Your last option is Jakob Poeltl from Domination Rewards. Again, he’s not much to write home about, but he can finish and play defense. That’s all you really need now.

We’ll be updating this guide throughout the season as new players are added to NBA 2K23 MyTeam.