Mike Wang: You Can't Shoot in NBA 2K24 Because We Fixed Lag

Regular NBA 2K24 updates are crucial throughout the year to continue resolving bugs and add new content, but the latest has ruffled some feathers. The arrival of fixes in NBA 2K24 updates 1.4 and 2.1 have seen several competetive players complain about shooting changes.

While that's not exactly an uncommon thing, as shooting complaints ring out every year, NBA 2K24 Gameplay Director Mike Wang has actually spoken out this time to clarify for players. According to Wang, one of their big fixes probably means your own timing is off.

NBA 2K24 Gameplay Director responds to shooting complaints

We've already seen several updates since launch, but the NBA 2K24 patch notes for Update 1.4 definitely marked it as the most significant this year. That was quickly followed a few days later with a small Update 2.1 hotfix, but it appears these two had a pretty significant change players are still adjusting to.

Just a few days ago, one new post on the r/NBA2K subreddit was gaining traction showing the reaction from several competetive 2K players to their current shooting success (or lack thereof). As the conversation heated up, NBA 2K24 Gameplay Director Mike Wang stepped in to reply and offer some clarity to players.

To begin, Wang explained that the gameplay code only saw three "perimeter shoot-related changes" in the recent updates. According to Wang:

• Some shots were reporting WIDE OPEN when they were supposed to be OPEN (defender nearby but not contesting)

• Because WIDE OPEN frequency went down a little, WIDE OPEN windows were given a small buff in all modes except Pro-AM and Ante Up

• Deep 3's were given a small buff for high rated shooters and Limitless Range got a small boost as well

NBA 2K24 Gameplay Director Mike Wang further clarified that they "never patch specific jump shot animations to make certain bases or releases more or less effective," a direct response to players believing their jump shot animations had been nerfed by the latest updates. However, he did reveal that "a significant change to [NBA 2K24] online code to reduce latency" could be what's giving players trouble.

This means that a fundamental layer of latency or lag that has existed for some time when playing online has finally been addressed. While that's good news for the game as a whole, it spells disaster in the interim for players who have perfectly timed their shooting to account for latency issues.

Even if you can shoot well in offline modes, the slight latency issue has always meant the timing wasn't quite the same while online in MyCAREER. Hopefully those days are in the past, but unfortunately the most die-hard NBA 2K24 players will need to spend some time on the practice court adjusting to these changes.