If you’ve followed the NBA 2K League since Season 1, players like Dimez, Radiant, oFAB, and Mama Im Dat Man are names you know well. Dimez was the league’s first-ever selection by Mavs Gaming.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the pick.

oFAB went second overall to Celtics Crossover Gaming, as Radiant went late in the first round at No. 14, but quickly established himself as one of the league’s best players. Mama Im Dat Man was a second-round pick by Blazer5 Gaming. He was named league MVP in Season 2.

While oFAB, Radiant, and MamaImDatMan have found some success on an individual level, Dimez has struggled to prove he was worthy of being the first-ever player taken in league history. Some might call him a bust, but in the 2K League, it’s hard to justify that term on a player who has been retained and protected ahead of every expansion draft.

Still, if you consider that he was the No. 1 pick, take a gander at his statistics and more importantly Mavs Gaming’s success – or lack thereof – we’d be lying if we said he has lived up to the hype.

If we’re taking a hard look at the players selected in the first round of the inaugural NBA 2K League Draft, Dimez isn’t alone.

Let’s go back to take a look at the first round selections in the Season 1 Draft. The only player from this list that has ever been a part of an NBA 2K championship team is G O O F Y 7 5 7, back when he helped lead Knicks Gaming to an improbable title run in Season 1.

No. 1: Mavs Gaming
Selection: Artreyo Boyd
Gamertag: Dimez
Position: PG

No. 2: Celtics Crossover Gaming
Selection: Albano Thomallari
Gamertag: oFAB
Position: PG

No. 3: Jazz Gaming
Selection: Shaka Browne
Gamertag: Yeah I Compete
Position: PG

No. 4: Kings Guard Gaming
Selection: Mitchell Franklin
Gamertag: Mootyy
Position: PF

No. 5: Pistons GT
Selection: Ramo Radoncic
Gamertag: Lets Get It Ramo
Position: PF

No. 6: Blazer5 Gaming
Selection: Dayne Downey
Gamertag: OneWildWalnut
Position: C

No. 7: Heat Check Gaming
Selection: Juan Gonzalez
Gamertag: Hotshot
Position: C

No. 8: Magic Gaming
Selection: Christopher Cantrell
Gamertag: KontruL
Position: PG

No. 9: Knicks Gaming
Selection: Dayvon Curry
Gamertag: G O O F Y 7 5 7
Position: PF

No. 10: Bucks Gaming
Selection: Aaron Rookwood
Gamertag: Drake Griffin (now ARooks)
Position: PG

No. 11: Raptors Uprising GC
Selection: Kenneth Hailey
Gamertag: Kenny
Position: PG

No. 12: Wizards District Gaming
Selection: Johnathon Fields
Gamertag: Fresh Prince JT
Position: PG

No. 13: Pacers Gaming
Selection: Bryant Colon
Gamertag: WoLF
Position: SF

No. 14: 76ers GC
Selection: Ethan White
Gamertag: Radiant
Position: PG

No. 15: Grizz Gaming
Selection: Larell Mitchell
Gamertag: Winner_Stayz_On
Position: PG

No. 16: Cavs Legion GC
Selection: Brandon Caicedo
Gamertag: Hood is Glitchy
Position: PG

No. 17: Warriors Gaming Squad
Selection: Trong Nguyen
Gamertag: Shawn_Win
Position: SF

Quite honestly, someone from the first round had to be a part of a title-winning team in Season 1, but G O O F Y 7 5 7 still deserves his props for the distinction.

Many players aren’t with the same team heading into Season 4, and seven aren’t even in the league anymore. Only Dimez, Yeah I Compete, Ramo, Hotshot, KennyGotWork, and WoLF are still with their original teams.

Mootyy, KontruL, Fresh Prince JT, Winner_Stayz_On, Hood is Glitchy, and Shawn_Win are all out of the league, while oFAB, OneWildWalnut, G O O F Y 7 5 7, and Radiant are with different teams ahead of their fourth seasons in the league.

What can we take from the lack of a team success that we’ve seen come from the top picks in that first year? It’s hard to make a sweeping statement, but one thing seems certain, those in charge of player personnel weren’t entirely sure of what they needed to do to construct a winning team.

Aside from Jazz Gaming’s strong 14-2 regular season run with Yeah I Compete, most of the original top five has fallen flat in leading their team’s in the regular season and tournament play.

Most would consider Mootyy the biggest miss after Kings Guard Gaming selected him fourth overall. He’s the only top five pick from Season 1 on the outside looking in ahead of Season 4.

Picks No. 6-10 have arguably produced the best results through three seasons. KontruL isn’t an active player in the league, but G O O F Y 7 5 7 won a title and is still an elite player. OneWildWalnut has won an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award and is in the upper-echelon of bigs in the league.

Hotshot has proven his mettle, too. He led Heat Check Gaming to a berth in the NBA 2K League Finals in Year 1 and has maintained his high level of play through three seasons.

Lastly, ARooks has stuck with Bucks Gaming for three years and proven to be one of the more dependable scorers in the league.

The rest of the first round was rough, primarily with the exceptions of KennyGotWork, Radiant, and the ever-steady WoLF. Aside from them, the rest of the guys selected from 11-17 are already out of the league.

As we move forward with NBA 2K League seasons in the future, it will be interesting to see how we can judge past first-round selections.

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