The number of hours I've spent obsessing over minute details in the NBA 2K games' GM modes is hard to even contemplate. The series offers the only opportunity virtually all of us will ever have to manage and run an NBA team, but the experience breaks down when you can't properly simulate real life due to some missing rule or option. Expanding the breadth of tools at your disposal in NBA 2K18's MyGM mode appears to be a major point of emphasis, according to developer Visual Concepts.

Senior producer Erick Boenisch has offered a rundown on the many new rules and tools at players' disposal in MyGM, as well as the new story elements. MyGM puts you in the role of a former NBA player whose career ended in 2011 and is now running a team for the first time. You'll have to "navigate backroom scenarios while dealing with expectations from your owner, your staff, the press, other GMs, and of course, your players." The screenshots below provide some sense of the types of moments you'll encounter, but the core of the story itself is being kept under wraps for now. "Just know that the intent is for an engaging experience that steers clear of the typical sports clichés you may be conjuring up in your head," he said.

In terms of rules, many of the key things we've seen impact the NBA landscape recently are now in place. This includes elements introduced in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement and other tweaks to more accurately reflect the real-life NBA: Super Max contracts (Designated Veteran Contracts, Designated Veteran Extensions, and Rookie Scale Extensions); changes to minimum and maximum salaries, the Mid-Level Exception; cap holds; the Over-38 rule; the Stretch Provision; new timeout rules; trading draft rights; the G-League and two-way contracts; new analytics tools; a way to stash international prospects; and more. Much of this is described in further depth in Boenisch's post, but this list alone is the kind of thing to get die-hard fans drooling. I'm just hoping this is the year the game stops treating my last name as profane (a bizarrely common problem for some people).

Boenisch also shared details on some of what's new for MyLeague mode. When playing online, players can customize their team's uniforms, courts, location, and more. There's also a way to add created players to a team--even mid-season--without having to start a completely fresh MyLeague save file.

NBA 2K18 launches for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, Xbox 360, and PS3 on September 19, or September 16 for those who pre-order. Its cover features Kyrie Irving, who may not be wearing the correct jersey for long. There's also a special edition featuring Shaq, and a Canada-specific version of the standard game.