It was a few months before NBA 2K22 gave players a look at the Galaxy Opal cards. When Pink Diamond cards were considered the best in the game, it seemed like Galaxy Opal would break the game when it arrived. Well, they are here. And yes, they are breaking the game.
Playing against a team with only one Galaxy Opal card is bad news. Any more than that and opponents can start to leave the match before it even starts. However, not just any such card will do. NBA 2K22 has released many cards with this designation now, grabbing the best of the best is what top tier players are doing.
10 reggie theus
| Position | PG/SG |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 27 |
| gold badges | Four. Five |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
As expected of any top point guard, Reggie Theus comes equipped with an arsenal of the best playmaking badges in the game and is at least gold or better for all of these badges. His shot is good, mostly golden, but his secret sauce is finishing, matching the current game meta. Perfect scores in both offense and defense ensure no further upgrades from this position will be needed anytime soon.
9 Shaun Livingstone
| Position | PG/SG |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 27 |
| gold badges | 46 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
Shaun Livingston and Reggie Theus are fittingly neck-and-neck on this list. They both play the same position, they both have perfect scores on offense and defense, and they both have gold or better on all playmaking badges. Livingston will get the tiebreaker thanks to a single additional legendary badge. Unlike Theus, he is more of a marksman than a finisher with the best possible shooting badges, but he can do reasonably well.
8 mitchell robinson
| Position | W/PF |
| Offensive Rating | 94 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | sixteen |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
Look no further than Mitchell Robinson when it comes to shutting down opponents on defense. This inside defender has all the badges on the defensive end, including the best defense/rebounding badges. Not only that, but Robinson has all but two classified as legendary, the other two are gold. He is also a solid finisher and playmaker, but this is a notable fact that brings him face to face with Dark Matter cards.
7 Andre Drummond
| Position | W/PF |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 33 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
It’s one thing to have all the best completion badges available and it’s another thing to have them on a legendary basis. Andre Drummond is known for his defense and rebounding, which is rated a perfect 99. But it’s his attack that shines on this particular card, which deserves a perfect score to go along with those badges.
6 Sergio Ibaka
| Position | FAQs |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 37 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
For a power forward or center, perfect scores of 99 on both ends of the floor speak for themselves. However, Serge Ibaka is a special case, as his offense isn’t solely at the rim (although he’s still amazing throwing posterized dunks). He has all but two shooting badges in gold or better. This is especially great for players who love to frustrate opponents with big stretches.
5 Larry Nance
| Position | FP/SF |
| Offensive Rating | 96 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 38 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
Larry Nance is appropriately regarded as one of the best defensive power forwards to ever play the game. With a perfect 99 and a gold rating or better for every badge in that category, he doesn’t disappoint in that regard. He’s a solid corner shooter, but he gets even stronger as he moves into the paint. Players who love to keep the inside clear will love what Nance can do both outside and inside the goal.
4 Gordon Hayward
| Position | SF/SG |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 98 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 40 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
There are really only two things to say about Gordan Hayward for players to see why, when he’s healthy, he’s among the best forwards in the league. He has all but one of the game badges at gold or better. And he has all the shooting badges in gold or better. Deadly on the ball or off the ball, opponents don’t have good answers on how to contain Hayword’s potential to take them down.
3 Jeremy Lin
| Position | PG/SG |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 41 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
Jeremy Lin is similar to Hayward in that between the shooting and playmaking badges, he has all but one and they are all gold or better. The difference here is the position he plays. This point guard shows no mercy, though he will happily slide to shooting guard for players who need some extra pumps and ball handling from that spot on the roster.
two Domantas Sabonis
| Position | P/C |
| Offensive Rating | 99 |
| Defensive Valuation | 96 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 43 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
As the NBA matures, they begin to recognize that what makes the best centers so good is their ability to play point guard as well. Domantas Sabonis, a 6’11” somehow figures primarily as a point guard. This creates the opportunity for full exploitation as this height is several inches above what most point guards can get. He has an even distribution of his badges, so don’t be afraid to move him from center to base and vice versa, he’ll do well in any position.
1 Nicholas Batum
| Position | SF/PG |
| Offensive Rating | 98 |
| Defensive Valuation | 99 |
| legendary badges | 28 |
| gold badges | 49 |
| silver badges | |
| bronze badges |
Look at the number of badges. Does this seem tall? Should. This amount is high enough to have all but three badges. Not only that, they are at the gold level or higher. Nicholas Batum doesn’t have legendary badges in finishing so he’s best kept out, but this focus on playmaking, shooting and defense is seductive enough for any player to see the potential in him as a forward or point guard. .
NBA 2K22 is available now for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
