Before his appearance on the last episode of NBA 2K League: The Post Up, Season 1 MVP OneWildWalnut of Blazer5 Gaming sat down to discuss a number of NBA 2K League related topics. Check out what the reigning Defensive Player of the Year had to say about his approach heading into Season 2, his biggest rivals in the league and much more.

Walnut on his approach going into Season 2:

• “Were losing Dat Boy Shotz which is tough. He was a part of our Big 3 in Season 1. But we feel really good with where we’re at, we have a lot of our personalities back. Me and Mama Im Dat Man being the PG and C were crucial to our team’s success in Season 1. Feeling good about the trade for KinG PeroXide, we feel that he was really undervalued and underutilized playing for the Bucks in Season 1. We feel like we got a steal. He’s just someone where we know what we’re getting, whereas if we drafted someone there’s a possibility to whoever slips to us might not be the right fit. Lavish_phenom really surprised us in Season 1, his defense especially and then his shooting later in the season. And he’s a great teammate, but we have great teammates all around which was crucial to our success in Season 1. In Season 2 we have no worries, but this time we’re doing for a championship.”

On team communication:

• “We have a Snapchat group, a group text for just us players and one with Cameron McAlees. We bring our guys in and we make them feel like there at home. We’re going to be around these guys for 5-6 months so you better be ready to be close to us and just take it all in. That’s what we do at Blazer5, it’s a close tight knit group. And we let you, do you.”

Basketball Playing Careers Transitioning to 2K:

• “Lavish played college ball in New York before he got injured. Mama played in high school, he was a point guard so it’s super important for him to be that leader. His communication is A1 and then Lavish has a really high IQ as well and I feel I do too. And then Shotz was one of the quieter guys from Season 1. But that quietness was not mistaken for what he could do on the court. So, it was kind of the perfect storm of personalities for Season 1 and it’s going to be interesting to see how we all mesh together for Season 2.”

What was it like seeing Shotz get drafted #1 by the Hawks:

• “It’s awesome to see. But no surprise really. We all knew he was going to go, most likely number one too. I’m excited to see him become a leader on that team and it’s like I said before you cannot mistake his lack of being loud and outspoken as a lack of leadership. That doesn’t mean he can’t lead. He is one of the best players in the league when it comes to just skill. I’m excited to see what he and ARS0NAL x are going to do in Atlanta. We’ll be sure to keep in contact with Shotz and look forward to playing him as well.”

His mindset when it comes to playing a new game with new builds in 2K19:

• “I’ve been playing the game a lot but nothing changes really. This was the same as last year even before I made the league I played the game a lot and at a high level against the best players in the world. Nothing really changes, the gear is going to get turned on pretty quick as we move closer to the start of the season. Definitely not an off-season where you can relax and not play the game. But I’ve always believed that if your good at 2K in general then you’re going to be good and you can adapt to the new 2Ks as they come out. There are always different tweaks to the game that you have to adapt too and same goes for the league, when they made that patch. You have to adapt or else you’ll get left behind.”

Reflecting on Season 1:

• “I think about Season 1 all the time. How close we came to a championship and also all the success we had. Our TURN tournament run, undefeated run during the regular season. But I even cherish the moments before the season and that TIPOFF tournament, which happened to be my birthday, just because we weren’t seen as team that was going to be a threat. So, it’s kind of interesting how as the season went on, all the attention we got and all of our personalities that got brought to light through all this extra attention. But I always look back on those moments before the season even started and it’s funny to see how everything transpired.”

On being doubted:

• “We were definitely doubted coming into Season 1. People just didn’t think we were going to be a threat. I remember seeing the tweets after the draft and the draft recaps from the so-called analysts of the 2K league. Even the community voted and did rankings of teams and our average ranking was 13 or 14. But the games had to be played and the games were played and we were the best team in the regular season and one of the best teams in the league period. But all of that just gave us added motivation for Year 1 and I don’t see why that changes in Year 2.”

Season 2 Rivals:

• “The same rival stands for Season 2 and that would be the Sixers. Because they’re bringing back 4 players and were bringing back 4 players. That core is still there. We both lost really good players (I F E A S T and Shotz), but the core of the team(s) is still there. And of course, the Knicks. We’re coming for the Knicks. We beat them 2 out of 3 times in Year 1. They beat us when it mattered most of course. We beat them in the tournament and in the regular season. And they’re retaining 4 players as well but yeah we’re looking at Knicks and Sixers as two big games in Season 2.”