I can truly say that if you're considering getting NBA 2K23 to play a great game of basketball, do so without hesitation. Just be wary of the fact that you'll have to shell out some extra money if you want to get into and keep up with the rest of the community when it comes to running in the Park, Rec, or Pro-Am.
If the devs can stabilize the servers, give us back our cameras in MyNBA, and just make some general tweaks around the edges, I would suggest without hesitation that NBA 2K22 is worth scoping out.
NBA 2K21 next gen is a much better game than NBA 2K21 current gen. I instantly felt differences in almost every area I checked out. In saying this, there are still some areas of improvement needed. Some of the things were out of everyone's control due to the current pandemic around the world and a tight development schedule. Some areas of improvement definitely sit on the 2K team to correct, and some of them have been areas of concern for several years now. Let's hope that changes for the better are made to improve the next-gen experience for all.
Had the 2K team decided to pull an eFootball PES move and patch NBA 2K20 to NBA 2K21, I think I'd have felt a little better about the product we currently have. Instead, we were given a slightly improved but underwhelming current-gen game. If you were on the fence about getting NBA 2K21 for current gen and are getting yourself a PS5 or Xbox Series X, wait it out for the extra month and a half and see what the game looks like then.
3 on 3 Freestyle is slower-paced than you might expect, but it's a free-to-play title that's worth checking out.