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Cavs Summer League Profile: Brayon Blake

By Evan Dammarell

BAKERSFIELD, CA - DECEMBER 09: Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners forward Shon Briggs (13) drive the ball into the basket against Idaho Vandals forward Brayon Blake (4) during the game between the Idaho Vandals and the CSUB Roadrunners on December 09, 2017, at Icardo Center in Bakersfield, CA.(Photo by David Dennis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BAKERSFIELD, CA - DECEMBER 09: Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners forward Shon Briggs (13) drive the ball into the basket against Idaho Vandals forward Brayon Blake (4) during the game between the Idaho Vandals and the CSUB Roadrunners on December 09, 2017, at Icardo Center in Bakersfield, CA.(Photo by David Dennis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Brayon Blake has joined the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Summer League roster.

The Cleveland Cavaliers brought in another interesting project to look at during the NBA Summer League in former Idaho Vandals forward Brayon Blake.

With LeBron James now out west with the Los Angeles Lakers, a lot of Cleveland Cavaliers fans are going to start looking towards the future. The best place to start is with the annual NBA Summer League. It will be the first time rookie guard Collin Sexton plays for the Wine and Gold and fans will also see the development of both Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic.

Sexton, Osman and Zizic are all going to be on the team’s roster this fall but aside from those three, there are plenty of intriguing players littered across the Cavs’ Summer League squad.

One such player is Blake.

In two years with Idaho, Blake averaged 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and tons of energy. If Blake is able to showcase that energy, he might have a chance to make the Cavaliers’ regular season roster.

The thing is, not many people really know who exactly Blake is. Which makes sense as he played for a small program at Idaho, which is not exactly known for its basketball prowess. However, while Blake was there he dazzled for the Vandals.

As mentioned above, Blake was a high-energy player for the Vandals and that is what going to help him make it. This energy, combined with his length allowed Blake to feast on opponents defensively averaging nearly one steal a game. He can also utilize his energy and bounciness to eat the glass, with career averages of 7.8 boards per game.

Blake also specializes in harassing opponents when inbounding and allowed him to showcase his scoring ability. He can attack the rim with relative ease, thanks to how springy and energetic he is. If the paint is packed, Blake can also step out and stroke it, with career averages of 40.9 percent shooting from three. All of these offensive gifts made Blake’s Idaho’s X-Factor, and really showcased it in Moscow:

So with all these great abilities, why did Blake sign with the Cavaliers Summer Squad?

Well, as mentioned before, Idaho is not a basketball powerhouse. That, and the competition the Vandals faced also cast some serious doubt as Blake’s ability at the next level. Smaller schools like Montana and Portland State were the average level of Idaho’s competition. This is not Blake’s fault, obviously, but it does cast some doubt.

When Idaho lost to top teams like Nevada, Blake still looked sharp. Against the Wolfpack, Blake finished with 17 points on 7-12 shooting, including going 2-3 from three along with 9 boards. Games like this may help Blake’s chances of lasting with the Cavaliers beyond summer league.

If Blake were to be signed by Cleveland, it would likely be on a two-way contract. He might be a great three-and-D player down the line, but (ideally) he will not touch an NBA court any time soon.

Blake could spend his formative years with the Canton Charge, and can properly develop in the Cavaliers’ system. Blake would also bring another young developmental project, something they might be doing a lot of after James’ exodus.

High-energy players off the bench and the Cleveland Cavaliers go together like peanut butter and jelly. If given time, Blake might develop into a role similar to Anderson Varejao or Matthew Dellavedova.

Blake could be a nice player in the NBA with time and could be even better with the Cavaliers.

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The Cavaliers’ Summer League team make their debut on Friday, July 6 against the Washington Wizards.