by Andrew on Sun Feb 09, 2020 5:21 am
Unfortunately, AI teammates can not only be dumb at times, but also actively help out your opponent by scooting out of the way or just standing around watching. That does leave you to do a lot of the work, though rapid switching usually doesn't help once an opponent is below the top of the key, because your player will be too slow to react upon switching to them. Even in switching control of players on defense, anticipation is key.
Top scorers are tough to stop, as they should be, but good defensive habits can slow them down at times. Smart double teams can be effective, though as you noted, they carry the risk of leaving someone open. If you can't force a turnover with the double team, you can at least get them to pick up their dribble, stifling their movement and interrupting the flow of the offense. Ideally you want to double team with a player that can easily rotate back to their man. I believe there are some defensive rotation options that will limit leaving anyone open with constant switching. The name escapes me at the moment (I believe it does mention switching though), so I'll have to look it up.
The other thing is proper spacing and movement. The instinct is to stick to your man like glue, constantly trying to lock them up and bump them, and move with them. That worked in older games with more primitive physics, but doing that now is a good way of getting out of position and letting them drive, or run you into a screen for an open shot. You want to keep a bit of distance between you so that you can sag off and play the drive if need be, or quickly close in to challenge the jumpshot. Watch for screens coming, and do your best to elude them before they impede your movement. If you're constantly chasing your man, you're going to get beat.
Holding up on the right stick is effective on jumpshots if you're quick enough to close in and take away all their breathing room. On drives you really need to press block/rebound to challenge the shot more aggressively. Try to anticipate where a player is going; the arrow that appears will provide a clue, and better defenders will have more reliable cues to follow. Also, to give you an idea of how well you're challenging a shot, the player indicator will have a red outline when you heavily contest a shot, yellow when it's a looser contest. You want to get reds as often as possible to take away Green releases and force low percentage shots, though if you're not quick enough the AI will get Greens, just as we can.
One thing to remember is that the top scorers will get their points sometimes, just as in real life; a case of great defense, better offense, and all that. Sometimes you have to pick your spots as well. Take away their opportunities and force their less talented teammates to make shots and beat you.
With steals, it's a matter of watching for when the CPU's player indicator is a broken line. That's when they're most vulnerable, and that usually happens when they're performing a dribbling move. You can also get a lot of steals by positioning yourself nearest the hand your opponent is dribbling up the court with, and hitting steal as they approach. This avoids some of the canned fouls, and tends to knock the ball loose for a steal opportunity quite often. It's all about timing, but it can be quite effective.
If you'd prefer to play off-ball, the AI doesn't do too bad of a job at times. If you are going to play that way, I'd recommend controlling someone who can rotate to cut off the drive or challenge the opponent at the rim. That's where CPU defenders tend to be weakest, and also seem to commit silly fouls. They're OK on the perimeter, it's when a perimeter defender gets beaten that they have trouble, or indeed, the last line of defense straight up stands aside and lets them through.
I'll have to look up some specific defensive settings to offer up some more tips, but hopefully that helps a bit. I think one of the main things is to try to overcome ingrained habits from older games, where the physics allowed us to get away with stuff that was effective but less realistic.
I let the AI defend the top players such as LeBron, Lillard, Kawhi, Giannis, etc. since my gamepad skills aren't good enough to slow these players down. These players torch my team for 40-50 points or more. I've tried defensive adjustments but they don't always work. If I double team the CPU teammates hit open threes all night long. 
Any tips would be appreciated. I'd be happy if I could hold these players to their average points per game.
