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Brayon Blake signs with German BBL’s Braunschweig

By Quenton S. Albertie

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Brayon Blake #77 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Houston Rockets go for a rebound during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 14, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Brayon Blake #77 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Houston Rockets go for a rebound during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 14, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Brayon Brake, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas, has signed with Braunschweig.

According to Sportando, 22-year-old undrafted rookie Brayon Brake, who appeared in six games with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Summer League team this offseason, has signed a contract with the German BBL’s Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.

The BBL (Basketball Bundesliga) is considered Germany’s top professional basketball league.

Blake, a 6-foot-7 forward who graduated from the University of Idaho after spending his first two seasons at a local junior college, is listed as Braunschweig’s starting small forward on the team’s EuroBasket profile.

He earned All-Big Sky First Team honors after averaging 17.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 29.0 minutes per game as a senior, along with shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three.

An athletic forward who seems like a three-and-D prototype, Blake averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 10.6 minutes per game (8.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per 36 minutes) for the Cavs but only shot 26.8 percent from the field and 11.1 percent from three. He only took 21 total shots (9 three-point attempts) though, so the sample sizes aren’t particularly significant.

Blake showing he had the athleticism and basketball IQ to stick in the league were more significant and he did that.

With Blake signing with Braunschweig, he’s no longer eligible for a training camp invite though. That’s unfortunate for Blake, who, though struggling from the field in Summer League, had a chance to make a lasting impression on a roster with a lack of depth at small forward and Okaro White as the third-string power forward.

Up to 20 players can attend a team’s training camp and, though he wasn’t one of the best performers in the Summer League, he theoretically has one of he most easily translatable skillsets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have 12 players currently under contract on their traditional 15-man roster. Billy Preston and John Holland, two two-way players for the Cavs, will be training camp invites. That said, the Cleveland Cavaliers had seven open spots in training camp even if restricted free agent Rodney Hood is re-signed.

To be frank, barring a spectacular, head-turning performance in training camp, Blake likely was headed to the Canton Charge to develop.

As a result, signing with Braunschweig for a starting role and likely a more lucrative contract makes sense for the former Idaho Vandal.

Related Story: 3 Cavs LVSL standouts who deserve training camp invites

*All stats gathered from basketball.realgm.com