Week 1 of Season 4 was anything but dull in the NBA 2K League. We saw some memorable and forgettable individual and team performances. It is too early to make a definitive, long-term judgment, but my thoughts and observations are here.

How Bout Dem T-Wolves?

I don’t want to jinx T-Wolves Gaming, but could we be looking at our first-ever two-time NBA 2K League champions? After winning it all in Season 2, BearDaBeast and Co. took a step back in Season 3.

They opened this year’s run by winning THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T and then validated the strong start by going a perfect 4-0 in Week 1 with series sweeps over Mavs Gaming and a struggling Heat Check Gaming squad.

Bear and his backcourt mate ShiftyKaii have been filthy through four games. The pair is averaging 45 points per game, and with the exception of the five-point win over HCG when they combined for nine turnovers, they’ve done an excellent job taking care of the ball.

Look out.

Vandi, aka The Blue Meanie

The most impressive point guard performance of the first week came from Vandii, aka The Blue Meanie. Grizz Gaming’s blue-haired fireballer lit HCG aflame in their opening series. After opening the season with a virtuoso performance against HCG, where he scored 36 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three, Vandi dropped 32 points and eight assists in the second game of the series to complete a sweep in Grizz Gaming’s favor.

Things were a little tougher on Saturday night for Vandi and Grizz. They split the series with Hawks Talon GC, and a great team defensive effort from Swan and Lee helped to slow Vandi down a bit. Still, the Blue Meanie helped push Grizz Gaming to the win against Hawks Talon in Game 1 with 25 points and 14 assists. Chess was huge in this game with six threes.

Vandi had 25 points and 7 assists in the Game 2 loss, as it was a laborious effort thanks to the Hawks’ defense. Still, at 3-1 after the first week, Grizz Gaming should feel pretty good about themselves and their point guard.

JMoney’s Leadership is Questioned. Is He Playing Out of Position?

Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai has a talented roster, but it is clear they are still trying to figure things out. One of the significant issues is at point guard, where JMoney has looked out of sorts.

Gen.G took two heartbreaking one-point losses at the hands of Magic Gaming, and JMoney had a sour look in Game 2. He finished with just 13 points and 11 assists, and he made just one of eight three-point attempts.

He has begun the season shooting a woeful 3-for-14 from three. That cannot happen for any team that hopes to have a successful season. During Nets GC star Choc’s post-game stream on Friday night, he called JMoney’s leadership into question, and many in the chat, including former 2KLeaguer 24KDropoff, concurred.

Most believe JMoney would be more effective if he were moved back to shooting guard, where he played in Season 2 when he helped T-Wolves Gaming win the championship. It will be interesting to see if Gen.G elects to keep him at point or make the switch to Bsmoove.

HCG and Sav are Immersed in Losing Cycle

Famous Enough’s Heat Check Gaming squad couldn’t have had a rougher start to the season. They dropped all four of their games in Week 1. Their prized offseason acquisition, Season 3 rookie of the Year, Sav, hasn’t gotten the best of his PG matchup yet.

Is the futility due to the strength of the opposition? It’s possible; HCG has fallen to the undefeated T-Wolves and Grizz Gaming. Sav has run into Bear and Vandi, so it’s tough for him to see a more challenging direct comparison, even though those guys aren’t guarding him.

This losing trend is a bit of an ongoing cycle for both the team and the player. Sav was shipped out from Lakers Gaming to HCG before the season, and his previous squad was the worst in the league during Season 3. His new team, an HCG squad that missed the playoffs in Season 3, is off to a horrid start this year.

It could all be getting to Sav as he beefed on Twitter with 76ers GC’s pure lock TheUnderratedGoat. Sav deleted some of his exchange after he carried some of the back-and-forth away from on-the-sticks references, but it appears the combination of TUG’s mental warfare and the losing is getting the best of HCG point guard.

Something is going to have to give for Sav and HCG, and after the two players barked at one another, this is a feud worth watching between the two Eastern Conference foes. In case you’re wondering, TUG will almost certainly be guarding Sav in Week 10 on August 12 when 76ers GC play HCG twice.

Choc is Like Kevin Durant Meets Stephen A. Smith

I mentioned Choc’s post-game stream, but I wanted to go into it a little more. Choc has just enough edge to be compelling, but he has matured into someone who can be looked to as a reliable source of information and entertainment.

His stream offered a great player perspective on the league and some valuable expertise that only someone with extensive experience with the league build can offer. The delivery was sharp and witty, and when you consider it comes from an elite player in the league, it’s all the more validated.

Because he grabs you with his personality like Stephen A. Smith (love him or hate him) and puts the ball in the virtual bucket like Kevin Durant, the Nets GC point guard is a gift to the league.

Are the Lakers this Bad, or is Jazz Gaming That Good?

After watching two of the most lopsided games we’ve ever seen, one can only wonder if Lakers Gaming is genuinely the worst team in the 2K League universe, or did they just ran into a buzzsaw in the form of a dominant Jazz Gaming squad?

The answer is probably a little bit of both. While No. 1 overall pick Krazy was advertised for the Lakers, Bohio might have put on the worst performance of any point guard in the league in Week 1.

Bohio averaged 15 points per game in the two-game series shooting 12-for-29 from the field. Krazy could be one of the best centers in the league already. He posted 16.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg, but his performance couldn’t save Lakers Gaming from a 192-127 cumulative beating to open their season in the first two games.

On the other side of the point guard spectrum, Splashy was sensational. He averaged an otherworldly 35.5 points and 13 assists per game in the two games. Jazz Gaming has a bye in Week 2, so we will have to wait until Week 3 when they meet up with Nets GC to find out if the Week 1 massacre of the Lakers was more about extreme failure or uncanny brilliance.

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