This cool new 'NBA 2K17' feature changes the game in a big way

I had a ton of fun guiding my custom character to a championship in last year's "NBA 2K16," but one problem I had was that my teammates and I weren't always on the same page. It was difficult for me to artifically inflate my assist stats and get triple doubles (because that's what's really important) when these hooligans would pass out of open looks I gave them.

Thanks to the new "Orange Juice" meter in MyCareer mode in "NBA 2K17," it's a little easier than before to form a dynamic duo with one of your teammates. Specifically, it's an on-court partnership with Justice Young, a fictional teammate of yours who is taken in the same draft as you. He's played by "Creed" star Michael B. Jordan.

The game doesn't explain this particularly well, but what you need to do is play well with Justice, who is always in the lineup with you on the court. Racking up assists and big plays with each other fills up the Orange Juice meter (a ridiculous name the two players come up with), and when it's full, you'll see this:

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Michael B. Jordan looks great in "NBA 2K17," unlike my created character.

As you can see, this opens up a whole new world of possibilities on the court. You can deftly switch between characters on the fly to set up ideal ball movement, alley-oops and more using the D-pad.

The "pass and shoot" command is especially important because now I'm assured my teammate will take the shot instead of passing out of a good look or waffling around like he belongs in the D-League.

I'm still early in the game's career mode so I'm only scratching the surface of the Orange Juice system, but it's a welcome addition to the already-excellent in-game action in "NBA 2K17." It's a smart move to give players a chance to build their own version of the real-life Splash Bros. (Steph Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors) and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of it.