NBA 2K23 How to Shoot: Green Windows Explained

What is the "Green Window"

The green window is a term we introduced to the 2k community back in 2K18 that represents the window of time where you have a chance of getting a green make with your jump shot timing. We have to measure this in milliseconds because the timing is so precise. You generally only have a 50-60 millisecond “window” where you have a chance of getting a green. I keep saying the chance of getting a green because there is a little RNG involved in whether you make or miss the shot. You can perfectly time you jump shot and still get a miss. The 2K community generally refers to this as a “full bar”.

The chart below shows one of our Premium Jumpshot charts for the Tracy McGrady base tested with an 85 Three Ball. As you can see the green window goes from 515mS to 570mS. So a width of 55mS. You'll also notice there are a couple white makes in there and it forms a bell curve. White makes are not common this year, but they still fall within the green window. The edges of the window still have less than a 50% chance of going in. These are pretty well timed shots that just happened to miss. Even in the middle where you have the best chance of getting a green, it can still miss.

How do we Test the Green Window?

We have modded controllers where we can set the shoot button to hold down for x amount of milliseconds that we tell it to. We will start by setting it to 520 mS since that timing falls in the range of most green windows. We look at the feedback to see if we need to speed up or slow down the shot. We test each millisecond 20 times until we get a green. Once we get a green, we move on to the next millisecond and repeat the process until we get to a millisecond that does not green in the 20 test attempts. We then determine that millisecond to be outside of the green window.

Once we find the green window, we take 200 shots every 5th millisecond throughout the green window to determine the make percentage for that millisecond. That will give us the green window chart that we showed above.

Where is the Green Window on the Meter?

The green window is represented on your meter by the green shaded area. The beginning of the gradient is the beginning of the bell curve from the image above. As you can see from our image below, if you are just outside the edge of the gradient, there is a very very small chance of the shot going in. As you get closer to the top, the chances go up. Once you reach the top, that is the center of the bell curve. The meter will then “bounce back” and go back down. There is still a chance for the shot to go in once this occurs. Depending on the shot it could be better or worse than chance on the way up.

How do we Increase the Size of the Green Window?

It's a common misconception that you can change the actual size of the green window. The width of the window will not increase, but there are things you can do to raise the RNG factor throughout the window, especially on the edges.

Jumpshot Boosts
- These are boosts you can buy with VC that give a small (~5%) chance increase to your RNG
Turning off your Meter
- Turning off your meter will give a small boost to the RNG.
Shoot in Hotzones
- Hotzones give a minor boost to shooting, although not as much as previous years
Use a good Jumpshot
- Some jumpshots have bigger green windows or better RNG than others. That is why meta shots exist. We do extensive jumpshot testing on our premium side where you can see jumpshot speeds, green window sizes, and which shots have the better over make percentage. Sign up today by clicking this link!
Equip badges that fit your play style and follow our badge tests to see which level you may need
- Badges don't increase the width of the green window but it does help the shot go in with decent timing. This chart represents what the bell curve looks like with different badge levels equipped. The green/white stack is the expected make percentage with no badges on, then each color added shows different levels of catch and shoot. Shooting badges really help the edges of the window

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