There are two feelings whenever a diamond player’s animation is triggered in NBA 2K22. The first feeling is joy. The odds of getting one are so rare! In the worst case, the card can be sold for virtual currency, but most likely it will be a superstar that starts for the entire season.
The next feeling is nervousness. What if it is one of the diamond cards that is overpriced? About half of them don’t have a single Hall of Fame badge. Winning nothing can be a slap in the face, paying with the player’s heart for a card that looks good but doesn’t play well. These are the cards players should expect to win the most on NBA 2K22.
Updated June 24, 2022 by Hodey Johns: After a wave of new cards were released, it’s safe to say this list needed an overhaul. Not a single player from the game’s launch remains in the top ten today, which is a microcosm of how quickly the landscape changes in NBA 2K22. This new list gives players an overview of the new round of top players. In addition to this review, each section has been equipped with some general statistics about the athlete’s card. This should give players a better idea of why each player ranked where he was and whether the individual will be a good fit for his team.
10 Magnet Shumpert
Position | PG/SG |
Offensive Rating | 93 |
Defensive Valuation | 99 |
legendary badges | 12 |
gold badges | 41 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
Veterans of the game have a specific strategy. They try to drive to the edge, and if the window closes, they go outside. Completion and playmaking are required and Iman Shupert has both categories pinned. Plus, his perfect rating on defense means he’s fit for both ends of the floor.
9 kevin huerter
Position | SG/SF |
Offensive Rating | 95 |
Defensive Valuation | 99 |
legendary badges | 12 |
gold badges | 42 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
Michael Jordan became the consensus GOAT of the NBA by doing every part of the game at a high level. Nobody is going to confuse Kevin Huerter with Michael Jordan, but his letter is similar in many ways. The badges are very well distributed. This is typical for a small forward, but for a shooting guard like Huerter, it adds some interesting opportunities that many players at this position don’t have.
8 Deni Avdiya
Position | SF/PG |
Offensive Rating | 95 |
Defensive Valuation | 99 |
legendary badges | 12 |
gold badges | Four. Five |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
At 6’9″ with 94 speed and acceleration each, Deni Avdija is one of the rare big forwards who can play point guard. This creates a massive mismatch against almost every other point guard that should be exploited. Avdija has it all. least two game badges in gold or better, making it well suited to working on the ball.
7 mike bibby
Position | PG/SG |
Offensive Rating | 98 |
Defensive Valuation | 98 |
legendary badges | 12 |
gold badges | 46 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
This is not the last time Mike Bibby’s name appears on this list. As a warning, he has two cards, both rated at 94, with slightly different stats. So he be careful when applying one or the other to the lineup. Although the other card wins by having an additional legendary insignia, this card is worth a second look at 98 in both attack and defense, two points higher than the other card.
6 Allen Iverson
Position | PG/SG |
Offensive Rating | 97 |
Defensive Valuation | 97 |
legendary badges | 12 |
gold badges | 49 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
To this day, many still revere Allen Iverson as the most talented point guard they have ever seen. Anyone worried about his 6’0″ frame will forget all the speed and acceleration that comes with it. His legendary and gold insignias are evenly distributed. Iverson is the perfect card for players who need to keep their opponents from guessing what they want. .you will be hit with the next one.
5 Boban Marjanovic
Position | C |
Offensive Rating | 91 |
Defensive Valuation | 99 |
legendary badges | 13 |
gold badges | 13 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
Point guards equipped with the best gaming badges in the game are hard to beat. They’ll find every little hole, send it to the right man, and it’s all over from there. Stopping someone inside requires near-perfect center scores, badges, and stats. Boban Marjanovic has all of that in a 7’4″ frame. Finishing from him is decent too, but it’s those inside saves that force opponents to try their luck from outside the arc.
4 lion power
Position | FAQs |
Offensive Rating | 92 |
Defensive Valuation | 99 |
legendary badges | 13 |
gold badges | twenty |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
Players who want their greats to have the best shooting badges will need to look elsewhere. And Leon Powe isn’t the best playmaker either. Instead, this card focuses on defense and finishing at the rim. While some players may want the versatility, sometimes a player just needs to get the job done and excel in select aspects. Powe won’t shoot 3s, but he’s generally better than other power forwards at being a power forward.
3 ac green
Position | FP/SF |
Offensive Rating | 89 |
Defensive Valuation | 99 |
legendary badges | 13 |
gold badges | 23 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
If a power forward is going to compete with the best centers in the NBA, he has to be able to defend and rebound from inside. AC Green is the model for this, putting one legendary badge on completion and the rest on defense/rebound. That perfect 99 defense score is the icing on the cake. Green can defend against any forward or center in the game, so feel free to move him around.
two Mike Dunleavy
Position | SF/SG |
Offensive Rating | 99 |
Defensive Valuation | 93 |
legendary badges | 13 |
gold badges | 35 |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
Mike Dunleavy is a fantastic template for an amazing shooting guard build or he can be left at his primary position, small forward, and really lose the balance of the game. As you would expect for someone with a perfect offensive rating, this guy is primed and ready to drain shots from distance. He also has some incredible ball handling skills for his position, which is useful for those who want extra body on the perimeter.
1 mike bibby
Position | PG/SG |
Offensive Rating | 98 |
Defensive Valuation | 96 |
legendary badges | 13 |
gold badges | Four. Five |
silver badges | |
bronze badges |
If Mike Bibby played today in his prime, he would be considered one of the best point guards in the game. Two of his cards grace this list due to their excellent distribution of badges across all four categories (he has a legendary badge in each). His best assets are shooting and plays, but his legendary Giant Slayer insignia also means that his small stature works to his advantage on the inside.
NBA 2K22 is available now for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.