Magic Gaming’s Reizey Named NBA 2K League Intel Player of the Week
June 4, 2019
Magic Gaming’s floor general is finally getting the respect he rightfully deserves.
The NBA 2K League announced on Tuesday that Brendan “Reizey” Hill was named the Intel Player of the Week for Week 7. Fans vote for the award on Twitter and through the league’s official Intel Performance Award page.
“I’m just glad that people are recognizing the work I’m putting in and they recognized that I had a good week and good performances,” Reizey said. “It’s nice to see your work pay off.”
Magic Gaming went 2-0 during Week 7, winning their two games by a combined 40 points.
Reizey averaged 20.5 points per game, 11.5 assists per contest, and shot 75% from 3-point range. With his phenomenal performances, he moved into fourth in the league in assists (9.2 per game) and currently ranks first among all rookies in that category.
“The flow of the game works better when everyone is involved,” he said. “There are a lot of point guards who look to score a lot, so other guys can almost get bored around them and when it’s time for them to make a play they’re not ready to do it because they haven’t been involved all game. So I try to keep everybody involved all game and bought in the whole time so that when it comes down to it at the end of the game, they’re ready to make a play and they’ll make it. I know these guys will and I trust every single one of them on this team to make a play.”
His strong showing over the last week is even more impressive considering that he underwent an archetype switch, going from the shot-creating sharpshooting build to a sharpshooting playmaker. He also had to adjust to an in-season trade as Magic Gaming acquired Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush from Grizz Gaming in exchange for Mykel “KelMav” Wilson.
While some could look at those changes as obstacles, Reizey cites the two moves as well as his teammates as key factors in his impressive outings.
“We all trust each other at all times,” he explained. “ToXsiK has come in and taken a leadership role – which is not something most guys who are traded to a new team would do – and he’s phenomenal at it.”
On draft night, when Magic Gaming selected Reizey with the ninth overall pick, there were plenty of pundits who criticized the move, questioning his ability to be a pure point guard. The critics are now silent as Reizey finds himself as one of the frontrunners in the Rookie of the Year race, alongside teammate Daniel “DT” Tlais.
“We knew what he was capable of, but more than anything, he grew into his role as a leader, being more vocal in games, and (improving) his overall basketball acumen,” Magic Gaming Head Coach Jonah Edwards said.
Magic Gaming (5-4) will look to build on their recent success when they face Heat Check Gaming on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.