When creating your MyPlayer you should focus on the following:

Follow the archetype you choose at the start. This is your player's greatest strength and will help you upgrade him faster.

You can both farm money and improve your character's skills through practices and drills. Though you may feel that these drills are somewhat dull, it is still worth your trouble considering the benefits.

Increasing the difficulty will give you more VCs, so it is a good idea to take things up to the, say, Superstar level.

Since you can also change how many minutes a quarter lasts, use it to give yourself more room for better scores.

Don't waste your VC on the first upgrade you see. It is wise to look ahead and save up for some better upgrades.

As for the actual games:

When you need to pull off an intentional foul, target players that are known for their bad free throwing skills.

In the coaching options, you can assign special tasks to your players. Elite defenders should always be assigned to guard superstars.

Only shoot when your player's legs are facing the basket. This improves his accuracy a lot.

Also, different players have their own favorite shooting positions, so try to learn them.

Finally, learn the passes. There are numerous types of passes in NBA 2K17, so mastering all of them will make you a tough opponent. Learning proper passes may sometimes be even more important than shooting at the basket.