Raptors Uprising optimistic after 2019 NBA 2K League Draft

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NEW YORK – For anyone who doesn’t believe in the human element of esports, allow us to present to you the strategy Raptors Uprising GC employed Tuesday night at the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft.

The Uprising, the Toronto Raptors’ official 2K League team, took an analytical approach to come to the often-thought-of unanalytical team-building approach of prioritizing chemistry in and out of the game with its players.

“I think, if we learned anything in the league last year, it’s that chemistry, that versatility and that teamwork that really led some teams to stand out above some others,” said MLSE esports director Shane Talbot after the Raptors’ draft concluded.

Adding to the two players they retained from before, Kenneth “Kenny” Hailey and Trevion “All Hail Trey” Hendrix, the Uprising took former Pistons GT player Frederick “Im So Far Ahead” Mendoza – who says he’s going to change his gamer tag to “Doza” – with their first-round selection (15th overall), Georgio “OOC Slim” Bonte in the second round and brought back members from the team’s first year, Seanquai “KingQuai614” Harris and Joshua “TsJosh” McKenna in the third and fourth rounds.

What each of these players have in common is how familiar they all are with each other already, with McKenna and Harris having been teammates with Hailey and Hendrix before last season and now Bonte, who is a well known member across the NBA 2K community, and Mendoza, who has pre-existing history with the Uprising member as well.

“There’s another game mode called Team Ups,” said Mendoza of getting to play with Hailey and Trevion shortly after he was drafted. “We played every day and it was very competitive and every time I played with them, all we did was win. So I know how to play with Kenny and I know how to play with Trey.”

It was a big night for the Uprising on Tuesday on two fronts. For one, the team seemed genuinely optimistic about the squad that was just assembled, and also because two former Uprising members also heard their names called by other teams.

Both Christopher “Detoxys” Doyle and Yusuf “Yusef Scarbz” Abdulla were taken in the third round by the expansion Lakers Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming, respectively. And while he doesn’t want to take credit for Doyle and Abdulla’s success, it pleases Talbot greatly to see the legacy he and his team had built in the inaugural 2K League season is continuing in Year 2.

“We’re proud to have the first Uprising back in the league and we’ve got nothing but respect for both of those guys,” said Talbot.

Abdulla, a Scaborough, Ont., native, was one of just two Canadians taken in the draft. Before him, in the second round, Magic Gaming took Daniel “DT” Tlais from Windsor, Ont.

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