The NBA 2K League TIPOFF powered by AT&T Tournament wrapped up this past Sunday. Just prior to the start of it, I had an opportunity to sit down with Hawks Talon GC manager and coach, Wesley Acuff.

Acuff isn’t just a 2K lifer with years of experience as a gamer, he’s also an expert in media production, which partially explains the award-winning content the team has been able to put out for the community.

Acuff and I discussed his journey, the team’s draft strategy, and their outlook on Season 4 as they try to capture that elusive trip to the postseason.

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Brian Mazique: So I guess one of my first questions is, can you describe, for those who may not know, your journey that landed you here? I know you have deeper 2K roots within the community and many people were familiar with you, to begin with. But can you give a little bit of an explanation of how you got to this place?

Wesley Acuff: Yeah. So I’ve always played 2K since [the] Dreamcast days, it’s always been my first game of choice. I’ve always been a gamer, but my background is actually in film and video production. When I graduated from film school, I was fortunate enough to land a job at the NBA in Atlanta, working at NBA Digital and Turner Sports. So I moved down here, to Atlanta, in around 2008-2009, and started working there in the NBA family. But I was always playing the video game, playing 2K as a casual player, and enjoying the game. Around the time the [NBA 2K] League launched, everybody started taking it a little bit more seriously and trying to get involved in that competitive scene and stuff like that. So I started to play a lot more, working as a producer and editor by day but gaming at night.

I didn’t know what the league fully was yet. I don’t think anybody did. Going through that process and getting that email that I was one of the top 250 players in Season One gave me the confidence to go and pursue something in this Esports arena.

And so, I didn’t ultimately make the league that first year but I was still creating content. So I started to create content on Twitch for the community, doing podcasts and top plays and different things that I could create with my skill set to have some fun in the community at the time and continue to grow in that space. And then the Hawks came in the second season. They joined the 2K League, and so I just took my resume and my experience and my gaming knowledge and applied for that position, and that’s how I got here.

BM: Man, that’s really awesome. And one of the things that I really like about that is that so often…and this goes for IRL athletes as well as Esports athletes, right? Often, people think that their only path to being involved is to actually be a player, and if that doesn’t come through, they abandon the whole concept or feel ultimately defeated. But from my standpoint, I transitioned into saying, “Okay, well what I’m going to do, I’m going to write about sports or I’m going to write about sports video games.” That’s another avenue as well.

So I think it’s really important, and that was one of the reasons that I asked you that question because I think it’s important for people who hear, see, and read or however they’re going to consume this particular interview, is just to hear yet another example of a person who was able to take their passion for something and maybe as you said, it was actually the plan B, right? Because you tried to get in the league at first. But then you went this other route. Getting into the league as a player is what I mean. So, I think that’s another great story, another great example or layer to add on top of that whole thing.

Wesley Acuff: Yeah, I always…like creating content and producing, and all that stuff is my first love. And the video game has always been my peace. When I’m taking a break from something, this is how I relax and just have some me-time. Just to be able to do both and merge it together, and as I said, I say that because I was starting to create the content in that same Esports arena, create 2K content for the community. I started to enjoy that part of the process.

I always, when we get an opportunity to speak, one of the things that I try to explain is that there are careers beyond the console. You can do things beyond just playing the video game; there’s a ton of careers in this industry. And I think it’s important that people know that as well.

BM: Yeah man, for sure. One of the things I wanted to ask you is just coming off of last year, and obviously everybody starts off, their goal is to win the championship, that’s pretty much what your goal should always be. But coming off of last season and the changes you guys made with the team and even just stuff that came from growth, you guys finished regular season 7-9. I know you did have some success in the three-on-three tournament, but can you talk a bit about your major focus for the franchise or for the team this year to build on what they did last year, the three-on-three tournament, and so forth?

Wesley Acuff: Yeah, the major focus was to get better in the roster’s strength and roster. To put us in a winning position for not only this season but for the future. And so, we took the approach of loading up on the best talent available and not just filling roster slots. Not just filling spots at specific positions but looking at a strategy and a focus where we could land the best talent and put ourselves in a position to have a strong roster from here on and give ourselves a little bit of stability. And also, a little bit of flexibility with the lineup because we have multiple players that can move around and play multiple positions. So, that I think was the biggest takeaway from how we came into this season and how we approached this draft. And building on last year, we came back with a core group of guys. We had BP, Lee, and Kel all last year. So to bring those three guys back who were all great players, and then add more great players with them, it just gives us a better chance at being stronger from here on out.

BM: How much of a focus, because I heard you say something there, and I’m wondering if I’m taking this the right way, but how much of a focus are you placing on positions? Are you approaching this in a way where you’re saying, “Alright, we’re going to bring in the best 2K players overall and we’re going to get these guys all into our facility and we’re going to work and we’re going to find out who’s best at what position.” Or did you go into it like, “Okay, I know for a fact BP’s my point guard and it’s going to be what it is and we just build around him.” Or are you just saying “Let’s see who fits best at what position?”

Wesley Acuff: No, what we did was we had a strategy to land the best available players and give them positions. So, we know that BP is a top-tier point guard, we know that Kel is a top shooting guard, we know that Lee made the All-Rookie Team last year in his first year. So, these are top players in their positions. What we weren’t going to do was pass on other top-tier players if they played the same position as players we already rostered. So, we still brought in a power forward, arguably one of the best power forwards in the draft. In my opinion, the best power forward in the draft, in Fakiee. As a small forward, we brought in a gym rat who loves the game, in Swann, someone who’s going to give the game his all. And someone who’s really good at lock, he showed by moving cross country to compete in some of these off-season tournaments what he’s willing to sacrifice and also winning a tournament. In doing so, he’s capable of being mentioned with the best lockdowns in the game.

And then, with our first pick in the draft, we landed Ceez, who is an explosive point guard as well. So while not having a traditional lineup with people who fit a certain position and then a backup of a sixth man who you could be more so using as a utility player, we loaded up with another top-tier point guard that we didn’t even expect to land. Still, there was no way we were letting Ceez slip through our hands. He’s a great player, and from there, we just feel like we have all the tools we need. Whatever way we decide to mix this up, we should be able to put a combo out there that should be able to win for us.

BM: Yeah, because that was interesting. I felt like that was an interesting decision to make there in the first round. And I know that I did hear some chatter in the community about, well, you guys got BP. It seems like most of the community considers him a top-tier point guard as well, and he had a solid season last year, but when your pick came around, you did take Ceez despite having other players on the board who may have fit a position of need like WorthingColt or MaJes7ic. You guys respected Ceez’s talent and knew how good of a player he is. Because of that, you’re like, “I’m not going to draft for need, at least not just positional need, we’re going to take the best player available and bring him in.” So, when you look at where you guys are starting, the TIPOFF Tournament, and everything that began on Thursday with group play, is there a specific match-up that you are looking at and saying, “This is a measuring stick for us within your first group,” or is it just everything off the top, just see how everything falls?

Wesley Acuff: I mean, we landed the undefeated 16-0 Raptors in our group. We were lucky enough to land a great team like the Raptors to measure ourselves against. I mean, I want all four of the games in our group. Obviously, we play the Grizzlies, who have Vandi and a host of really good guys. They have defenders that were on my roster last year, so obviously, I respect those players’ talents.

I’m not underestimating any team, especially not either team that’s in our group stage. But the game plan is to treat every opponent the same way. Not approach the game the same way but to want the win the same way. We want to beat the Raptors as much as we want to beat the Grizz, and that’s that. We respect both of their lineups and both of their organizations. For us, it’s not about measuring ourselves against either one of these teams. We know what we have over here, and we just need to do our job and make a statement early.

BM: Alright, my last question for you is that last year, this season, guys finished outside of the postseason, and obviously you want to get better than that in this particular season. But if there is something that you can say at the end of this year, if I look back and I can say, “We accomplished this then this means that we had a successful season,” what would that be?

Wesley Acuff: Things change so much with this league. We have conferences this year, where we didn’t have conferences in the past and a bunch of other things have changed, such as how many teams are allowed into the postseason. But to be honest, this is a year where I do have my eye set on making [the] playoffs. I will say that I feel like every tournament is a playoff and so, making brackets throughout the season, not just the playoff bracket. Showing that we’ve grown to where we can now get into the brackets and have some success in each individual tournament and then also carry that momentum to hopefully get us to where we want to be in the playoffs, I think that’s a success.

And then there’s also successes outside of just game day. Watching the organization grow and win business awards and start to create award-winning content and those sorts of things. All of these things will contribute to me calling the season a success. Just continuing to push forward in the Esports industry, being some of those trailblazers and leaders as an organization that can help this space grow. I think any combination of all of these great things would warrant calling it a success.

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