Miami Heat Check Gaming’s Hotshot named to ALL-NBA2K League 2nd team

The 2019 NBA 2K League season has ended. Although Miami Heat Check Gaming didn’t make the playoffs, there is cause for the organization to celebrate.

The 2019 NBA 2K League regular season has come to a close. Although Miami Heat Check Gaming didn’t make the postseason, there is still cause for fans and the organization to celebrate. Juan Gonzalez, aka Hotshot, was named to the All NBA 2k League second team. This honor was shared with frontcourt mates Plondo (IND) and BSmoove (GSW) while Radiant (PHI) and Godddof2k (CLE) filled out the backcourt positions.

Hotshot averaged 15 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while adding 5.6 assists, 2.4 steals and a block per game. He played center for every game this past season except for one. More on that later. The Miami, Florida native anchored the lineup when the team needed it and was also nominated for the play of the year award. His dribble-drive from the wing led to him dunking all over the center who was named to the first team ahead of him (OneWildWalnut) to eliminate Blazer5 gaming in the first round of THE TICKET in Orlando.

Seeing this highlight raises a crucial question for HEAT nation. If Walnut had only done marginally better than Hotshot in the stats department, what helped voters differentiate between the two? The answer is easy, but unfortunately, it comes in the form of another question. Can a team in the bottom third of the league (17th) be home to a first-team selection? I’m going with no. I believe Hotshot is the best center on the planet, but if I had a vote, I’d have to give it to the player who is the starting center on a team with the best record in the league (14-2) and last year’s Most Valuable Player and his name is OneWildWalnut.

This second-team selection is a win for the player, the fans, and most importantly, Coach Famous Enough’s skills as a talent evaluator. He selected Hotshot with Heat Check’s first-round pick back in 2018 and never looked back. With such a poor record (6-10) with a substantial losing streak stuck in there, Famous will need to find a way to rebuild around his all-NBA 2K League performer.

The culture is already installed, and the star player is already in place. He seems to be ready to take on whatever position has the advantage in season three’s league build. Season one earned him the nickname of One Man Army on the shot creating slasher build where he handled all playmaking and scoring duties for the squads from the small forward position. “Five-out” was the name of the game and they were one win away from winning the first-ever NBA 2K League championship.

This year in season two, they weren’t so lucky. Every team lived and died by their point guard play. Winning seemed simple. If you had a stud running the point, you had a considerable advantage. If you had a powerhouse big man, his skill level still showed but made shots were just a lot harder to come by.

In the final game against Hawks Talon GC, a new player was introduced to the masses. That player was point guard Hotshot. I must say there was no pure lockdown build on the floor to oppose him, but he looked very much like the torch-bearing floor general the team needed. He finished the game with 24 points and 15 assists on 7-for-20 shooting and seven 3-pointers made. His shot was a bit rough, but his playmaking was on point. It was evident that with some intentional reps and practice at point guard will get him up to snuff. During this game, it was apparent that he could easily adapt and share the floor with another scorer. The floor was wide open for MOAM who also had a crazy night. He scored 30 points, had four assists and four steals while shooting 11-fo-17 from the field and a blistering 8-for-12 from beyond the arc.

The future is bright for Hotshot, and the organization must do its best if they want to maximize his talents. For Miami Heat Check, the offseason has arrived but if you happened to be cruising Miami HEAT twitter, make sure you stop by his page and congratulate him.