NBA 2K23: Best Badges for a Slasher (2024)

Of all the slashing builds in NBA 2K23, the Pure Slasher is the one that raises a lot of questions. Moreover, what is a Slasher in 2K23?

A Slasher is basically a player who scores points in bunches by driving to the basket. It’s oftentimes a shooting guard or small forward that prefers driving to the basket for a layup or dunk and who may not have the most reliable jump shot. However, they tend to be stout with their perimeter defense.

This archetype sometimes gets confused with 2-Way Slashing Playmakers like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, or Ben Simmons, but the difference lies in its modifier. A Slasher is someone that relies more on receiving and does not have much to offer when creating for teammates.

If youwant a build of a slasher like Anthony Edwards or Russell Westbrook, you’ll need to be an excellent finisher while being able to survive on the perimeter. It all lies in your badge game to make this happen.

The best Finishing badges for a Slasher in NBA 2K23

This section focuses on the Finishing badges that are best for the Slasher archetype. Because of the Slasher’s goal is to make it to the basket and hit easy layups, dunks, and close shots, there are more Finishing badges to target than the other three categories.

Aerial Wizard

Badge Requirements:Driving Dunk – 50 (Bronze), 66 (Silver), 81 (Gold), 92 (Hall of Fame) OR
Standing Dunk – 50 (Bronze), 67 (Silver), 82 (Gold), 93 (Hall of Fame)

Since you’ll have no choice but to start with a Tier 1 badge, the Aerial Wizard badge is the way to go. A Slasher should be well equipped to cut to the basket and throw down an alley-oop pass from a teammate, or soar in for a putback finish. Having a long wingspan will help in this regard.

You’ll need good timing here as this badge helps successfully connect with the alley–oop passes and putback dunks.

Fearless Finisher

Badge Requirements:Driving Layup – 67 (Bronze), 77 (Silver), 87 (Gold), 96 (Hall of Fame) OR
Close Shot – 65 (Bronze), 75 (Silver), 84 (Gold), 93 (Hall of Fame)

After getting the necessary Tier 1 badges, you’ll need to prioritize the Fearless Finisher badge next. It’s hard making shots when met with defenses and hit with contact. As a Slasher, you will be making a lot of contact down low as you attack the basket.

This badge will improve your ability to convert contact layups. It also reduces the energy you lose from contact layups.

Pro Touch

Badge Requirements:Close Shot– 49 (Bronze), 55 (Silver), 69 (Gold), 80 (Hall of Fame) OR
Driving Layup– 45 (Bronze), 55 (Silver), 67 (Gold), 78 (Hall of Fame)

The Pro Touch is another Tier 2 badge that gives an additional boost for having good layup timing. You’ll need to excel at both layups and dunks as a slasher as a dunk won’t always be available to you. This also means you may have to adjust your layup timing to account for defenders.

Pro Touch will help you convert layups, specifically giving you an added boost for slightly early, slightly late, or excellent shot timing on layups. However, you will need to have layup timing turned on for this badge to take effect.

Acrobat

Badge Requirements:Driving Layup – 69 (Bronze), 79 (Silver), 89 (Gold), 99 (Hall of Fame) OR
Driving Dunk – 70 (Bronze), 84 (Silver), 92 (Gold), 98 (Hall of Fame)

Once you’ve mastered layup timing, it’s best to get a boost when hitting high degree of difficulty layups. Your Slasher will be better off having a nice arsenal of layup, dunk, and post move packages to account for their ability to be down low.

The Acrobat badge is another Tier 2 badge. Acrobat specifically adds a boost to spin, hop step, euro-step, cradle, reverse, and change shot layup attempts. Further, you receive an added boost to beating defenders with a gather.

Slithery

Badge Requirements:Driving Layup – 69 (Bronze), 79 (Silver), 89 (Gold), 99 (Hall of Fame) OR
Driving Dunk – 70 (Bronze), 84 (Silver), 92 (Gold), 98 (Hall of Fame)

A Slasher needs to have smooth drives to the basket and it’s easier to gather through traffic with the Slithery badge. Slithery is a Tier 3 badge, requiring ten points invested in Tiers 1 and 2 before unlocking the ability to purchase Tier 3 badge points.

Once you start equipping the Tier 3 badges, having this Finishing badge will help you avoid collisions and strips. Specifically, the Slithery badge increases your ability to slide through traffic, protect the ball, and avoid contact during gathers and finishes at the rim.

Fast Twitch

Badge Requirements:Close Shot – 67 (Bronze), 75 (Silver), 85 (Gold), 96 (Hall of Fame) OR
Standing Dunk – 70 (Bronze), 87 (Silver), 94 (Gold), 99 (Hall of Fame)

Slashers tend to miss easy layups when defenses are well-timed. However, many are quick off of the dribble and bounce. The Fast Twitch badge is crucial to convert those first and second chance points as this badge helps speed up standing layups or dunks around the rim. This can affect the defense’s timing, making them react just a fraction of a second too late.

Bully

Badge Requirements:Strength – 74 (Bronze), 82 (Silver), 89 (Gold), 95 (Hall of Fame)

The Bully Badge is optional when you are a Slasher. Still, it helps to power through with your drives to the basket. As a Slasher, hitting the lane quick and with power is important to success.

This Tier 3 badge boosts your ability to finish strong by bulldozing through traffic. Specifically, Bully will improve your ability to initiate contact and reach the rim on layup attempts.

Limitless Takeoff

Badge Requirements:Driving Dunk– 65 (Bronze), 79 (Silver), 86 (Gold), 96 (Hall of Fame)

With some of the post defenders in the league, it may be best to target a badge that increases your takeoff distance so that you can avoid them or disrupt their timing. The Limitless Takeoff badge favors dunks and layups from a distance.

Specifically, Limitless Takeoff will have your player start their layup or dunk attempts from farther out than a typical Slasher without the badge.

Posterizer

Badge Requirement:Driving Dunk – 72 (Bronze), 85 Silver, 93 (Gold), 99 (Hall of Fame)

Once you’ve adjusted your takeoff range, another Tier 3 badge you’re going to need as a slasher in 2K23 is the Posterizer badge. It simply improves the likelihood of posterizing your opponent, but can also translate to easy two points with a highlight. Remember, “Highlight Plays” increase your “Teammate Grade” meter and leads to more fans.

The best Shooting badges for a Slasher

While Slashers thrive at and near the basket, it’s nearly impossible to be in today’s NBA without some semblance of a jump shot and some consistency in draining outside jumpers. This helps turn the Slasher into a formidable offensive threat.

Middy Magician

Badge Requirements:Mid-Range Shot– 50 (Bronze), 64 Silver, 73 (Gold), 81 (Hall of Fame)

The Middy Magician badge is a Tier 1 badge for a slasher as you need some semblance of shooting as well. Since the lane won’t always be open on a cut, having a nice mid-range game could still provide you with an easy two points when your primary means of attack is gone.

This badge improves ability to knock down pullups, spin shots, and fadeaways from mid-range. It’s also a good way to make pull-up jumpers off a hesi move. If you have a mismatch, go to work and drain the mid-range bucket.

Volume Shooter

Badge Requirements:Mid-Range Shot – 55 (Bronze), 69 (Silver), 77 (Gold), 86 (Hall of Fame) OR
Three-Point Shot – 60 (Bronze), 73 (Silver), 83 (Gold), 90 (Hall of Fame)

The Volume Shooter badge is a good shooting badge to lean on when you find a hard time scoring through drives. If the lane is continually cut off, you’ll have to adjust to hitting jumpers. If your shooting attributes aren’t as high, then Volume Shooter can be a way to account for this issue.

This Tier 1 badge boosts shot percentages as shot attempts accrue throughout the game. Specifically, after you’ve taken a few shots, you’ll receive boosts to your shot attributes for every subsequent shot. Regardless of make or miss, you’ll receive the boost.

Clutch Shooter

Badge Requirements:Mid-Range Shot – 49 (Bronze), 59 (Silver), 69 (Gold), 79 (Hall of Fame) OR
Three-Point Shot – 49 (Bronze), 59 (Silver), 69 (Gold), 79 (Hall of Fame)

Whereas Volume Shooter helps you heat up, the Clutch Shooter badge helps you win the game. Most players dream of being the player who has the ball in their hands late, hitting game-winning shots as the buzzer sounds.

This Tier 1 badge is pretty self-explanatory. It increases the ability to knock down shots in clutch moments. In NBA 2K23, clutch moments are defined as the final moments of the fourth quarter and any overtime period.

Amped

Badge Requirement:Mid-Range Shot – 59 (Bronze), 70 (Silver), 78 (Gold), 85 (Hall of Fame) OR
Three-Point Shot – 70 (Bronze), 75 (Silver), 82 (Gold), 90 (Hall of Fame)

Slashers tend to use a lot of energy because of all that cutting, jumping, and contact. It affects shooting attributes even when you’re a lights-out shooter. Fatigue has been shown to negatively affect a player, and the same holds true in 2K23 when your energy runs low.

The Amped badge reduces the shooting attribute penalties when fatigued and when moving excessively prior to shooting. It’s a Tier 2 shooting badge that this archetype needs.

Comeback Kid

Badge Requirement:Mid-Range Shot – 40 (Bronze), 50 (Silver), 60 (Gold), 70 (Hall of Fame) OR
Three-Point Shot – 48 (Bronze), 58 (Silver), 68 (Gold), 78 (Hall of Fame)

It’s going to be harder to drive to the basket during the closing moments of the game. Defenses clamp up, the lane closes, and perimeter defenders play closer than earlier in the game. The Comeback Kid badge boosts the ability to mid-range and three-point shots when trailing in a game. You can call it the bail-out badge of shooting as well.

The best Playmaking badges for a Slasher

The Playmaking badges here are more focused on giving the Slasher every advantage in cutting to the bucket. Still, a beauty of the Slasher archetype is that their abilities at the basket usually draws defenders to them. This sets up easy passes for the Slasher to hit his teammates on the perimeter for easy treys or for that player to also slash to the basket.

Ankle Breaker

Badge Requirement:Ball Handle – 55 (Bronze), 65 (Silver), 71 (Gold), 81 (Hall of Fame)

Freezing your defender and getting past them is the bread-and-butter of a Slasher. While cutting off of the ball is a great way to exploit your Slasher’s abilities, if your the type that fancies having the ball in your hands, then you’ll need some moves to blow past the defense.

The Ankle Breaker badge is a Tier 1 badge that will help you do just that. Specifically, it increases the frequency at which a defender stumbles or falls when you perform stepbacks and other dribble moves.

Quick First Step

Badge Requirement:Post Control– 80 (Bronze), 87 (Silver), 94 (Gold), 99 (Hall of Fame) OR
Ball Handle– 70 (Bronze), 77 (Silver), 85 (Gold), 89 (Hall of Fame) OR
Speed With Ball– 66 (Bronze), 76 (Silver), 84 (Gold), 88 (Hall of Fame)

Having a quick first step is probably the most basic ability a Slasher must prioritize. Beating your opponent off of the dribble or off of the ball and nabbing an easy two should most likely be the first plan of attack.

The Quick First Step badge is a Tier 2 badge that will give a Slasher more explosion. Specifically, it will give you access to quicker and more effective launches when driving out of triple threat and size-ups. It’s one of the more effective playmaking badges in NBA 2K23.

Clamp Breaker

Badge Requirement:Ball Handle – 55 (Bronze), 65 (Silver), 71 (Gold), 81 (Hall of Fame)

How does a Slasher beat good defense? One way is to maintain possession on drives to the basket, thwarting any attempts at stripping you on the takeoff or blocking your close attempts.

The Clamp Breaker badge helps ball handlers win more body bump confrontations. Clamp Breaker improves your ability to fight off contact, protect the ball, and drive by opponents as the ball handler.

The best Defense & Rebounding badges for a Slasher

Slashers are generally about offense, but they tend to be at least above-average defensively on the perimeter. However, as may be evidenced with Westbrook, the defensive skills tend to wane as the athleticism of the Slasher wanes as well due to age, injury, or both.

Challenger

Badge Requirement:Perimeter Defense – 69 (Bronze), 79 (Silver), 86 (Gold), 95 (Hall of Fame)

Pure Slashers should be able to have some semblance of defense in their arsenal. This is another area where having a long wingspan will help.

Since it’s not the top priority, the Challenger badge is something you can use for defensive fallback. It simply improves the effectiveness of well-timed perimeter shot contests.

Interceptor

Badge Requirement:Steal – 58 (Bronze), 78 (Silver), 90 (Gold), 99 (Hall of Fame)

Even 2-Way Slashers are called for reach-in fouls on steal attempts, so you’ll want to mitigate this as much as possible to make use of your Slasher wingspan. You can also help off-the-ball by poking in the passing lanes.

That said, the Interceptor badge will increase the frequency of steals and tipped passes. This can lead to easy dunks on fast breaks.

What to expect when using the best badges for a Slasher in NBA 2K23

Don’t be mistaken by the differences between a Pure Slasher and a 2-Way Slashing Playmaker, or similar archetypes. Slashers are pretty one-dimensional, but very potent offensive players.

While scoring through drives are this archetype’s livelihood, you’ll have to make sure your athleticism is on-point to be able to pull off this build. A Pure Slasher is one of the most athletic builds in NBA 2K23.

Now that you know the right badge combination for a slasher, it’s time to put this build to the test and be the next Westbrook-type player in MyCareer.

Looking for more badges guides? Have a look at our article on the best badges for an interior finisher.

Check out our article on the Best My Team Starter Cards.