To complete the Running Mate Quick Play objectives in NBA 2K27, press up on the D-pad during a MyCAREER game to open Trace Miller’s quick-play menu, choose a play, and finish it — you need to run one play with your ball, one with your Running Mate holding the ball, and one off the ball.
Running Mates is the new co-op teammate system in NBA 2K27’s MyCAREER, and it arrives with a short story drill that asks you to run three different play types with your Running Mate. All three lean on the same button, so the whole checklist clears in a single trip down the court once you know the input. Here is exactly what each objective wants.
When the Calling Quick Plays drill appears
Trace Miller is your custom Running Mate, a teammate you meet during the G League stretch of MyCAREER who then sticks with you through your whole NBA career. Once Running Mates first unlocks in the story, the game drops you into a practice drill titled Calling Quick Plays.
The drill header reads “Perform All 3 Different Plays Below,” and the checklist on the left of the screen lists three items — Your Ball, Running Mate’s Ball, and Off the Ball — each sitting at 0/1. You clear them by calling a quick play in each of those three possession states, and finishing the play.
How to complete the three Running Mate quick plays in NBA 2K27
| Objective | How to complete it |
|---|---|
| Your Ball | Hold the ball, press up on the D-pad, pick a play like Quick Pick & Roll, and score. |
| Running Mate’s Ball | Pass to Trace, press up on the D-pad while he has it, choose a play such as Quick Isolation, and finish. |
| Off the Ball | With neither of you holding the ball, press up on the D-pad, call a play, and run it. |
Key Every objective uses the same input — press Up on the D-pad to open the four-action quick-play menu — so the only thing that changes is who has the ball when you call it.
STEP 1/4
Open the quick play menu
While in the drill, press Up on the D-pad to bring up the four-action mini menu you run with Trace.
STEP 2/4
Run a play with your ball
Hold the ball, press Up on the D-pad, pick something like Quick Pick & Roll, then score to clear Play: Your Ball.
STEP 3/4
Run a play with your Running Mate’s ball
Pass to Trace, press Up on the D-pad while he has possession, choose a play such as Quick Isolation, and finish it.
STEP 4/4
Run a play off the ball
With neither you nor Trace holding the ball, press Up on the D-pad, call the play, and execute it to clear the last objective.
You can knock out all three in the single Calling Quick Plays drill — call one play per possession state before you reset the offense and the checklist finishes in one trip down the floor.
Video help
Co-op is optional, and AI Trace still progresses it
Co-op is an optional, game-by-game feature, not something you flip on at the main menu. When it is off, the AI runs Trace for you as a normal MyCAREER teammate built to your specs, and the quick-play objectives still progress exactly the same way.
Running Mates Tokens and building Trace to a 99
When Trace first joins you pick one of nine build templates modeled on stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić, then shape his attributes, badges and playstyle from there. Clearing quick plays is how you feed that growth.
Each objective you finish hands you a Running Mates Token, and calling plays together — scoring, assisting, or anything you do as a duo during a play call — builds shared experience and chemistry for both of you. That unlocks new skills that make playing side by side easier, and the tokens go toward upgrading Trace’s attributes all the way to a 99 overall.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you grind Running Mate quick plays in The City or the Park?
No — Running Mate play calls are tied to MyCAREER games, and this objective specifically lives in the G League story drill. The City and the Park do not track it, so run it inside your career schedule.
Does it count if your MyPLAYER scores, or does Trace have to finish?
Either one counts. Once you call the quick play, the objective ticks as long as the play is wrapped up with a score or an assist — and it does not matter whether you or Trace is the one who finishes it.
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