NBA 2K23 has the most realistic shooting mechanics in the franchise. There are several factors to consider when it comes to guaranteeing a successful shot. The odds of sinking a ball are tied with mechanics such as player attributes, positioning, formation, and the opposing team.
Another factor that can greatly improve or decrease your odds of sinking a ball is whether you are in a hot or cold zone on the court. The following guide will explain hot zones and why they are so important in NBA 2K23. This guide is relevant for both the current-gen and next-gen versions of the game.
What are hot or cold zones in NBA 2K23
Simply put, hot zones are areas where you can make easy shots on the court. If the area is a hot zone, the chances of landing your shots are higher. If you shoot from a cold or blue zone, your chances of making that shot are reduced drastically.
Hot zones are divided into three categories. On the hot zones map, they can be determined by their color. For example, a high percentage hot zone has a bright red color, while a medium percentage has a more muted red. The low percentage of cold zone is denoted by blue. If you’re in a high percentage hot zone when making your shots, your chances of success will be much higher.
Note that just because your player has high attributes does not mean you can try a shot from every side of the court. The best players will always know their players’ hot zones and will never try to make a shot from a cold zone.
How to check your hot zone in NBA 2K23
Every player on your team has different hot zones. To confirm a player’s hot zone, head into your MyCareer menu and look at his stats. A map showing both his hot and cold zones will appear. You can memorize these zones for use on the fly during a match.
Please note that the game extracts a player’s hot zones from your gameplay. If you do not see any hot zones on the map, as mentioned earlier, it just means you have not played enough matches with that player.
You can correct that by playing on pro difficulty with 5-minute quarters. Then, you should be able to see his hot zones in his stats.
How to get more hot zones in MyCareer
To get more hot zones in NBA 2K23 next-gen and current-gen, your shots and playstyle need to remain extremely consistent. The hot zones mechanism works by tracking the progress of your last 25 matches. You must hit at least 10 shots at three points to unlock a hot zone for long-range shots.
To convert any blue area on the court to red, you need to perform well. You can do this by playing on the easy difficulty. To convert a cold zone to a hot zone, you must have a minimum of 50% basket ratio in that region.
How to reset hot zones
While you are free to convert a blue area on the court to a red one with patience, resetting your hot zones in NBA 2K23 is impossible.
