Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, are set to tip-off week two of the SLAM OPEN on Tuesday, May 3. After a 2-1 week, Venom are poised to make it out of their group and head to Indianapolis for in-person play for the first time in 2022.
In a competitive group, Venom played Hawks Talon GC, Heat Check Gaming, and Team Smoke, an ameteur team competing exclusively in the best-of-five, three-on-three setting. Venom dropped their first game of the week to the Hawks in a 3-0 sweep but came back and defeated the Heat and Smoke in a pair of 3-1 victories.
As the standings currently sit, Venom, Hawks, and Smoke are all tied for the group lead with two points. While Heat Check has yet to get on the board, they are going to be a tough out for Venom in week 2. This is because every team plays each other again for the second week of group play. It is hard enough to beat a team once, but it is even harder to beat that same team again the following week.
In a strange twist, Glennratty and Crown, debatably Venom’s two best players in five-on-five play, sat out the first week of three-vs-three play. King Haad, Nick, and DJ rounded out Venom’s starting lineup for the first three matchups.
Nick appears as if he was made for the three-on-three game mode. His elite shooting and lockdown defense have shown early and often in Venom’s week 1 matches.
King Haad started slowly in the Tipoff tournament but has made a name for himself in the Slam. The success he is experiencing in the three-vs-three portion of the season may not directly translate into the five-on-five portion, but the confidence he is gaining is noticeable. He looks in his element.
DJ made his case for Rookie of the Year in the Tipoff, and he is adding to that resume in the Slam. As an elite rebounder and finisher, he can mash with the best bigs in the game. In the three-on-three matchups, he has had to play a different style of game, but that has not taken away from his domination on the glass.
With another week of group play scheduled for this week, Venom will look to make it to in-person play next week in Indianapolis. While another 2-1 record should get the job done, a 3-0 record this week would lock Venom into the top spot in their group.