The July update for NBA The Run is live, and it’s a bigger deal than the usual roster refresh. Three of the most hyped young prospects in basketball just got dropped into the game: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer. Each one comes with custom animations, unlockable gear, and their own ‘In the Zone’ abilities. Dybantsa has unique dribble combos and a jumper that looks like his real shot. Peterson even has his post-draft sleeve tattoo modeled in.
But the real headline here might be the new Block Party ruleset. Here’s how it works: every block you make subtracts a point from the other team’s score. First to 15 wins, and scores can’t go negative. It’s a Common ruleset right now, meaning you’ll see it in rotation pretty often. That’s a genuine mechanical shift, not just a cosmetic tweak. NBA The Run already had Dunkfest and Oop City as Rare rulesets. Old School now requires a win by two points instead of just first to the number.
AI Got Smarter and Steals Got Harder
The devs overhauled the AI core. Defensive rotations are tighter. Off-ball movement on offense actually makes sense now. If you’ve been frustrated by your teammate AI standing around, this patch should help. They also nerfed steal spam pretty directly — reduced the reach range, speed, and angle on steal attempts. Interceptions from off-ball defenders have a tighter window too. If you were the person mashing the steal button every possession, you’re going to have to adjust.
Off the Heezay, the flashy ankle-breaker move, got a buff. It works from a more generous distance and angle now, and the stun time is longer, which makes it an actual counter to aggressive defenders. The devs want it to be a risk-reward tool instead of a gimmick.
Jalen Brunson Becomes the First ‘4 Crown’ Player
They improved Jalen Brunson’s attributes across the board. He’s the first player in the game to earn a full four-crown rating, which usually means elite stats in scoring, playmaking, defense, and athleticism. That’s a pretty strong statement about how the devs view his real-life game right now.
Kyrie Irving got a whole new set of unique animations — jumpshot, trick moves in every direction. Damian Lillard has a new jumper too. There are multiple new alley-oop animations and putback dunks. Victor Wembanyama’s block animation got polished, which should make his paint presence feel even more ridiculous. They also fixed root displacement issues on some players, meaning animations shouldn’t slide around awkwardly anymore.
Sound design got some love as well. Rim fire sounds on perfect shots are in. Explosion noises are a bit more subtle. The audio mix for In the Zone abilities is less muffled, and dunk sound effects now cut through without being overwhelming.
NBA The Run launched earlier this summer, so expect more updates like this as the dev team keeps building. The next NBA season is still a few months out, and there’s plenty of room for them to keep adding content between now and opening night.
Leave a Comment