Time for a substitution at Nip.
Nip announced that es3tag has been moved to the bench. I didn't think he was enough as an awper, which I think the nip team was too late in this decision. That's why they transferred Device, but it didn't work out and he went back to astralis. Now they will be looking for a new awper. I don't know who will come to the roster but nawwk can be tried. He is a very talented player and he can fit in with nip.
This is es3tag's statistics in 2022. He has been really ineffective for the team in general. This was because of showing a very inconsistent performance for a long time. There was an improvement in his performance in the recent times actually but it didn't last very long either.
If NIP want to be one of the top tier teams by staying in top 10 then they should take the needed steps for the good of the team. It is the right call to bench es3tag and I wonder with whom they will be filling his place. The most striking AWPers have a strong bond with their teams these days. They might need to go for a talented young AWPer instead of signing a player who is already a star.
Es3tag used to be a very decent rifler and entry fragger just a year ago, but it seems that he's getting a bit rusty and he needs some time to grind solo before he joins any team that can utilize him for what he can offer. I know that ever since he's been on NiP he became more confident and more daring in his plays, but that's not the only thing that pro teams need from him. He also needs to step up whenever possible and do things that an AWPer must do. He already got that thing going back in Astralis and 2021 NiP, he just needs to take a step back and focus.
The NIP team is currently taking care of Headtr1ck, who plays the role of Awp in the young talent Navi academy. In fact, the NIP team has made its decision and the bidders are only left to the Navi team's decision. The result of this transfer will be clear in a few days. Previously, the Navi coach was asked if Headtrick was ready instead of S1mple. According to b1ad3 headtr1ck is not ready to play in tier 1. I think he is a very good player, but NIP is very eager for this transfer.
Been reading a lot re: headtr1ck in hltv and reddit, and even watched some highlights and demos with him on it. I'd say he's got pretty good game sense and can definitely play in tier 1 with proper teammates that can help him hone his skills. I doubt Navi would be keen on transferring S1mple, their star, to other teams any time soon. And I doubt S1mple would even want to be transferred too.