Warriors Gaming Squad prioritizes experience in NBA 2K League Draft

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Similar to their NBA counterparts, the Warriors Gaming Squad went into the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft in need of a big man.

After Xavier “Type” Vescovi was selected with the first pick of the NBA 2K League Expansion Draft by Hornets Venom GT, WGS was in need of a center to replace the 2019 All-NBA 2K League Defensive Team player.

WGS used the No. 20 overall pick to select Malik “Slaughter” Leisinger, an Ohio native with a background in college basketball. Leisinger played NCAA Division III basketball at Ohio Wesleyan. Leisinger has played prior in the 2K League, as he was the 32nd overall pick in the 2017 draft.

“Combination of great experience,” GSW Sports head of eSports Hunter Leigh told NBC Sports Bay Area following the selection. “I think running for a championship, the idea of getting somebody who is not gonna be intimidated by the bright lights coming in, along with a really well-rounded skillset.

“He can shoot from 3, play pick-and-pop, he can mash down low if we need a center who’s gonna play big, he’s solid on defense, he’s extremely well-rounded.”

“I played against him season 1,” Alex “Bsmoove” Reese said. “We’re ecstatic to get him, he was our No. 1 guy and he was there at 20 so, it [doesn’t] get better than that.”

The Lakewood, Ohio native was a guard in his collegiate playing days, as he stands 6-foot-2, but will take over as the starting center for WGS.

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Inside the team’s war room -- a conference room inside Chase Center -- Leigh gathered the entire current WGS roster, along with basketball executives including Warriors assistant general manager Kirk Lacob for the third-ever NBA 2K League Draft, which was held in New York City at Terminal 5.

Leisinger joins Reese, Jin “Jin” Choe, Charles “CB13” Bostwick, and Samuel “Gradient” Salyers on a WGS team that advanced to the second round of the 2019 NBA 2K League playoffs, before falling to eventual league champion T-Wolves Gaming.

The team added Matt “Marty” Grant in the fourth round of the draft as well.

For more information on the Warriors Gaming Squad and the upcoming 2020 season, visit 2kleague.NBA.com.

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