The Contest System Debate: 0%… 1–5%… or 5–10%? Who’s Really Open?
If you’ve played any Rec or Pro-Am this season, you’ve heard it: “That’s not open!” The community is split on how shot contests are registering—especially in that gray zone between 0%, 1–5%, and 5–10%.
Some players swear the tiniest gap still shows as “Open,” while others argue body position matters more than ever. So what’s real, and what’s just noise?
Kevin Cruz Sparks the Fire
Kevin Cruz—widely respected as one of the best teachers of NBA 2K mechanics—recently broke down the contest system on YouTube.
His analysis lit up the community, with players dissecting what counts as a “real contest” versus what the game engine calls open.
One viewer summed up the “stop complaining, play better” angle:
“If you are mad at this update you either don’t play basketball and don’t watch basketball or just want to cheese the game. Who in their right mind would look at this and say ‘this is a bad update.’ Simple solution, take better shots 🤦🏽♂️.”
That’s one half of the debate—those who believe contests are fine, and the responsibility lies with the shooter to make better reads.
The Ghost Contest Problem
Others, like BlaqKobra, argue the opposite. After the recent patch, he tweeted:
“As expected, ghost contests are now prevalent after the patch.”
Ghost contests—coverage percentages appearing when defenders don’t seem close enough—remain one of the community’s biggest frustrations.
Steals vs. Contests
Washed Gamer added fuel to the fire with his take:
“If I’m in perfect guarding position, you are getting stripped before you even get the ball up to your shooting motion. Y’all acting like the shooting motion starts above your head while coming off the dribble; nobody dribbles at their head level lol.”
His point? If defenders are in perfect position, they should force steals, not watch wide-open shots go up.
Mike Wang’s Poll
Gameplay director Mike Wang (Beluba) stepped in with a poll that nearly 76,000 players voted on:
“If a defender is in perfect guarding position but doesn’t put a hand up, what contest coverage would you expect on a perimeter jump shot?”
- Open (33%)
- 1–5% (36%)
- 5–10% (28%)
- Other (3%)
The split shows how divided the community is—no consensus on what “perfect defense” should mean.
Joe Knows’ Perspective
Content creator Joe Knows added nuance:
- If close proximity always forced steals, players would just complain from the other side.
- He argued ghost contests shouldn’t exist—but admitted judging contests in real time is tricky. With the MyPlayer camera zoomed out and gameplay at high speed, what looks open might not be.
- He also pointed out that an NBA player liked his recent video backing up his stance against ghost contests.
The 0–10% Window
That tiny band between 0% and ~10% coverage is where most games swing:
- 0% (Open): High make rate if timing is right.
- 1–5%: The most controversial zone; some say it should punish shooters more.
- 5–10%: Inconsistent—sometimes feels right, other times broken.
Practical Advice Right Now
- Own the line – Keep your body between rim and shooter.
- Hands up early – Contest as the shooter gathers, not after release.
- Square up – Chest-to-chest positioning beats swiping from the side.
- Respect height – Shorter defenders must be flawless with angles.
The DHYHF Take
At the end of the day, DHYHF’s perspective is this:
You shouldn’t even be able to see if you’re slightly early, slightly late, or wired up with a 1% or 5% contest.
These indicators will always be flawed—there will never be a true way to measure the exact number. So why even show us this information?
All it does is spark endless debates, when the focus should be on hooping.
Final Word
The contest system is the hot-button issue this season.
- One camp says contests don’t punish bad shots enough.
- The other says the complaints are excuses, and smart hoopers just need to adapt.
Kevin Cruz’s video lit the spark, and voices like BlaqKobra, Washed Gamer, Joe Knows, and Mike Wang have only pushed the debate further.
Whether you think ghost contests are killing gameplay or believe it’s just about taking smarter shots, one thing is clear: this conversation isn’t going away.