It’s that time of the week again, power rankings. Since we’re a full tournament in for both 3v3 and 5v5, I’m going to do a COMBINED set of power rankings for each conference. We’re about ¼ of the way into the season, so i think it’s fair at this point. I weigh 5v5 heavier than I do 3v3 since it uses the entire team, but I’m not ignoring 3v3 success by any means. Cut me a little slack since this is the first combined rankings we’ve done, but upon review, I think they are pretty good. Let’s start in the East!

Eastern Conference

1.Wizards District Gaming

Have they been their best selves yet in 5v5? No, not quite yet. Getting out of the group stage was still a plus and them winning our first 3v3 tournament was just downright fun. The trade for Kapp will inevitably define their 5v5 fate, but all-in-all, I think they are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. We have some other teams that are quite good, but no one has dethroned the King.

2.76ers GC

It’s all going to come down to how 630 and Dre play together. Either they really figure it out and win the title, or it doesn’t come together and they come up short. Not a lot of black and white with this team anymore, it’s championship or bust.

3.Gen.G Tigers

Every young team goes through stages. First, you get the flashes of immense talent and the wins start flowing. Then, the inevitable adjustment where things get tougher and the losses pile up a bit. Now, we’re at stage 3. How do the young Tigers respond? They have the potential to be a real title contender, but it really comes down to how they respond.

4.Knicks Gaming

A tough team to break down without seeing how Ant SZN and Malik play together. Check back at the end of Week 1, Knicks Gaming will definitely be a part of my recap.

5.Heat Check Gaming

I’ve called out Sav a ton this year. They put a lot of trust and resources into putting him in the best possible situation to succeed and so far, he just hasn’t. I still think he has the potential to do so. However, the rest of this season will define his career in the NBA 2K League. Either he steps up and they make a run, or he doesn’t and we start to wonder what is next.

Grizz Gaming.
Nets GC
Raptors Uprising GC
Hornets Venom GT
Hawks Talon
CLTX Gaming
Magic Gaming

Western Conference

1.T-Wolves Gaming

Hey, when you win the Tipoff, you get the #1 spot. They are the best team in the West right now, but considering the strength of the conference, we’ll see if it lasts.

2.Lakers Gaming

Back to back final fours is an incredibly impressive achievement, this Lakers Gaming team is legit. This is an excellent starting 5 that has a tton of room to improve. The chemistry will improve, the trust will improve, and most importantly, the execution in clutch moments will improve. Really fun team, one of the stories of the year.

3.Warriors Gaming Squad

Warriors Gaming Squad has never had much success in the Tipoff. In fact, this was the first time CB13 and Gradient have ever even made it past the group stage. The Turn is when this team usually gets rolling. They’ve got the talent, a winnable group, and the pedigree to get it done. Let’s see if this is when the Evil Empire really starts to roll.

4.Jazz Gaming

I listed them as one of the teams that have disappointed me the most, frankly because I’m more bummed out than anything at how the start of the year has gone for them. A tough loss to Mavs Gaming in round 1 of the Tipoff made not even making it out of the group stage in the SLAM that much worse. They made the finals of this tournament back in Season 3, a huge run could mean a lot to this team’s title hopes.

5.Dux Infinitos

I don’t have much to say about these guys except that sometimes having a few good player is better than having a couple fo stars. They’ve performed quite well in both 5v5 and 3v3, so they’ve set the stage for a good end to the year. Mario is taking over at Center for ForverPolo from here on out, so that could make or break their season. We haven’t seen him play in the league since Week 4 of last season, we’ll see how he fares.

Pistons GT
Bucks Gaming
Mavs Gaming
Blazer5 Gaming
Pacers Gaming
Cavs Legion GC
Kings Guard Gaming

Quick thoughts on NetsGC trading Tate to Hornets Venom for KingHaad:

It’s not a huge trade for either team by any means, but still pretty surprising. I thought Tate was a good PG for what the Nets are trying to do, but his performance on stage was less than stellar. That being said, it’s not like KingHaad has had a great year. 13 ppg, 6.5 apg, 70.5 TS% in his first go around during Tipoff. All in all, I don’t think it changes either teams outlook that much. The trade happening this close to the start of a tournament is probably the most surprising part, but we’ll have to wait and see if that has a real impact.