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Season five is right around the corner…
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The season five NBA 2K League Draft lies right around the corner for Memphis Grizzlies E-Sports Franchise Grizz Gaming. February 26th is the date that Grizz Gaming had been working towards since their devastating round one loss to Knicks Gaming of the season four 2K League Playoffs.
It was their first playoff appearance in franchise history, and a successful season that cemented that Lang Whitaker was a legitimate General Manager and his Head Coaching skills had taken the leap. Fast forward five months later, and it appears that while Whitaker was happy with the season four jump, complacency is poison. Especially in the NBA 2K League. This logic resulted in flipping his cornerstone Point Guard Vandi to Pacers Gaming last week for a lottery pick in the upcoming draft on Saturday.
This will be a monumental draft in Whitaker’s fifth season as Grizz Gaming’s Head Coach and General Manager. Obviously bold moves come with the position, but going all-in on JMoney as Memphis’ Point Guard for season five will be huge. Also, how does Memphis prioritize their drafting order? With needs at Shooting Guard and Lockdown, where should Memphis attack first with picks 12 and 38?
If you look at Grizz Gaming’s current roster makeup, you can see that this team loves versatility. This offseason has been a shift in focus to guys that can play multiple positions. For example, when Memphis’ name gets called on Saturday night with the 12th pick, they can go several different directions with that selection.
If you are Memphis, quite a few names stick out that could be on the board. One name in particular would be John Mushaben (Witness2K). In my research he is the most versatile wing Memphis could take,achieving in every area of the game.
Take a glimpse at what’s it like being a rancher trying to turn NBA 2KL pro with our next Draft Hopeful @Witness2K_ ? #NBA2KL5 pic.twitter.com/UVSBK7T1W7
Serving Memphis as a secondary ball handler and sharpshooter, Witness provides Memphis with the best value at pick 12. Of course, there are several names tied to that 12th pick in the Draft. For Memphis, I expect them to add more versatility given the 2K League’s new Season Five format is featuring 3v3.
Of course, Witness isn’t the only option Memphis will have at pick 12. And Witness has to be available when Memphis’ name is called.
Theoretically if Witness2K were to be off the board, Grizz Gaming could focus on making their back court more dynamic by taking a guy like CooksIverson or Fanta. Both provide flexibility and can play both Shooting Guard along with Point Guard. Either way, I don’t see the Grizz going after a lockdown with the 12th pick in the draft.
TimelyCook, a seasoned 2K League veteran that can solidify Grizz Gaming’s front line defense. Listen, last season wasn’t great at all for TimelyCook. However, Cook is still a 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, and can provide Memphis with that versatility and IQ that the team currently has on it. Timely also is seasoned on the 3v3 stage as well.
Getting TimelyCook at pick 38 provides huge value to Grizz Gaming. It also gives them more flexibility when it comes down to those 3v3 matchups, while also giving them one of the more dynamic starting five’s in the 2K League.
If TimelyCook is off the board at 38, expect Memphis to target a lockdown like Bagmotion, or Logic_Stark.
A huge season five draft lies ahead for Grizz Gaming, with a solid core in place. How does Memphis fill in those holes? We find out Saturday night.
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