The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

The NBA 2K League finally tips off

Can Kevin Durant and the Warriors rack up another championship? (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Roar Rookie
30th April, 2018
0

Following close to a year of build-up, hype and careful planning, play tips off this week in the NBA 2K League, their foray into esports.

Although at times the careful planning and curating of this venture actually felt like a frustrating lack of information being made available to the public, it all felt deliberate – an exercising in marketing to build hype.

Introducing the NBA 2K League

The tip-off tournament takes place in New York City – as spiritual a home-base as a league that is yet to play a single game can have. The league is headquartered in New York City and it feels right to have the tournaments and league play take place there, with six players from each franchise flying in weekly to compete.

The 17 teams drafted their players from a pre-determined draft pool of 102 of the best players from a global tryout mode. Teams were not able to scout players further afield of the 102 selected and vetted players – the competitive advantage in knowing all the players, past experiences and differentiation in draft strategies and selecting the right players was where the real tactics resided.

Most teams loaded up early on points guards and big man at the centre and power forward position, while some curve balls came from left field when Indiana Pacers Gaming took a small forward at pick 13 and Golden State Warriors gaming also took a small forward at 17 in the first round.

With their prized draft picks locked up, contracts signed, living quarters organised and in some cases work visas expedited, the 102 players relocated to their respective cities and set course for a three-week crash course in building gameplay, including offensive sets and defensive schemes. More importantly, they established chemistry between a group of players that in many cases only know each other through Twitter and perhaps from playing against each other.

Advertisement

Without knowing the entire tournament structure and how each team has been performing in closed door practices, it is difficult to suggest who should be favoured to win. However, looking at how teams drafted, where the talent is distributed, the perceived strength of schedule, and how teams could mesh together quickly within a basic offence, the following teams should do well.

[latest_videos_strip]

Boston Celtics Crossover Gaming
The Boston franchise drafted extremely well, bringing in community-based analysts to decipher through the noise of 102 players. Boston has a great 1-5 combo in oFAB and Arsonal X. In a short turn around before this tournament, Boston’s pick-and-roll game with knockdown shooters spacing the floor could be throw opposing – newly formed defences in bad decision making early, also Fab sees the floor nicely and I expect him to find cutters flashing to the paint as secondary options in their offensive sets.

Toronto Raptors Uprising
The Raptors drafted expertly for experience, winning pedigree and fit. They have the potential to have the stingiest defence in the league, with KennyGotWork and Detoxys ferocious and smart defenders. The knock on their team building was that Kenny hasn’t played point guard for some time, however he is too great of an NBA 2K player not to recapture that winning style.

Heat Check Gaming
The Miami Heat’s gaming club drafted very well, which came as no surprise, with their gaming manager being a hire from the amateur community. Expect Miami to come into the tournament expertly drilled in their offence and defensive rotations.

I also expect Miami to throw some different looks in terms of ball handling and perhaps some junk defensive schemes to create indecision from opposing offences. Miami’s first-round pick – HotShot305 – has the ability to be a league MVP with his strong inside presence and unique feel for the game.

The tip-off tournament will be an interesting exercise in viewership and engagement with some very interested and invested viewers particulary at the headquarters of the major sporting leagues such as the NFL. Moreover the gameplay will be of particular interest in how well 2K Games can execute a competitive esport version of their widely popular NBA2K franchise.

Advertisement

The first game kicks off May first at 5pm Eastern US time, with the inaugural match-up between Milwaukee and Detroit. The tournament will be streamed live on Twitch.tv and there is $USD100,000 prizemoney to the winner.

close