PU graduate makes NBA summer league roster
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
T.J. Bray’s debut in the Las Vegas Summer League gave professional coaches a look at what Princeton University fans have been used to seeing.
The 6-foot-5 guard filled up a stat sheet as he helped the Toronto Raptors summer league team defeat the Los Angeles Lakers. In 22 minutes of action, Bray knocked down all three 3-pointers that he attempted and made 3-of-4 from the foul line for 12 points, had two assists and three steals and a rebound.
”I’m looking at it as an opportunity to prove myself against the best guys,” Bray said. “I know I can play with these guys. It’s a matter of going out and proving it. If it doesn’t happen for the NBA, hopefully there’s a European coach whose eye I can catch.
”It’d be great to start in the NBA. More than likely, it’ll be in Europe, but you have to keep scrapping and grinding and hopefully keep moving up.”
Bray’s next three games haven’t been quite as productive, but he has had the chance to prove that he belongs as a professional player. The Raptors lost to the Nuggets and Mavericks, then fell to the Rockets on Wednesday. In each game, Bray has come off the bench. He has averaged 17.5 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.5 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. Bray has been trying to impress.
”The second game, we didn’t play as well as we would have liked,” he said. “We got blown out by Nuggets. I played as well as I could. The first game was good. I knocked down shots and filled up the box score.”
Bray is accustomed to putting up eye-opening statistics. He was as consistent as they come for the Tigers men’s basketball team. The first-team All-Ivy selection led Princeton in scoring at 18 points per game, in assists with 118, field goal percentage at better than 53 percent, free throws made and steals. He was second on the team in 3-pointers made and third in rebounds. It wasn’t enough to get him drafted or even on the invite list for one of the biggest showcases for prospective pros. Bray, though, wasn’t letting anything stop his dream.
”After the season ended, I finished my thesis first of all,” Bray said. “Once that was out of the way, I took a week off from basketball. The Portsmith Invitational came and went, and I wasn’t invited to that. But I had a workout for all 30 teams, then I worked out with five teams. I got invited to play with the Raptors.”
Bray also had workouts with the Knicks, Jazz, Bucks and Sixers. The versatile guard was able to show what he’s been doing in Ivy League play for years to earn a roster spot with the Raptors summer league team. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind to get ready for the start of the summer league.
”It takes time to adjust to everyone’s game,” Bray said. “We had about five practices. We were able to get it down. We’ve been sharing the ball, moving it well. There are a lot of guys out there looking to have fun.”
Bray has a whole new group of teammates, a mix of first-round picks with guys like himself that are trying to get noticed and catch on with a team. Bray hadn’t played with any of his Raptors teammates before summer league.
”John Shurna is a Northwestern guy,” Bray said. “There is some continuity there. If you’ve played with one Princeton style guy, you’ve played with them all.”
Bray is looking at the summer league as his chance to show his strengths. He’s been training for this opportunity.
”I haven’t had much time off,” he said. “Even during graduation and Reunions, I was trying to work out and enjoy time with friends, and I didn’t have much time. After summer league is over, I’ll enjoy some time off and get out on golf course.”
Bray admits that he plays more golf than he ought to, but his dedication to his basketball training has paid off, as has going to Princeton.
”To be in good enough shape to play a full season of the Princeton offense, you have to be in better shape than a lot of guys,” Bray said. “I’ve been able to run laps around guys in some workouts. It taught me how to move off the ball. You have to do a little of everything.
”I can’t say enough about how the Princeton offense has prepared me. You have to make the most of your chances. You’re not always going to have the ball. You have to be able to move off the ball and that’s in the Princeton offense. It makes it so much easier for me.”
Bray still has at least one more game to show what he can do. Each Las Vegas Summer League team is guaranteed at least five games with no more than seven. It’s a short window to show what they can do.
”Everyone is in the summer league because they’re trying to get back in the league or prove themselves,” Bray said. “The guys in the summer league, aside from the lottery picks who aren’t the main focus, you have to show the coaches you can play off the ball. If you can be a smart, heady player, you can set yourself up nicely to keep moving up the ranks.”
Bray’s first game in the summer league showed just what he’s capable of doing. He’s been trying to show off a well rounded game.
”You can kind of figure it out on your own, your strengths and weaknesses,” Bray said. “With Coach (Mitch) Henderson, Coach (Dan) Earl, Coach (Marcus) Jenkins, over time you get a lot of feed back. Most of it is the same type of stuff. “In the NBA, guys are masters of one thing. If you stick out for one thing, that’s a positive thing to stick in the league.”
Bray is trying to prove that he could help a professional team. He is sticking with the game that made him a memorable leader for the Tigers.
”The biggest thing for me is making shots, playing good defense and being a smart guy that won’t make a lot of mistakes out there, being in the right place at the right time,” Bray said. “I’m not going to cross guys up and score 30 a game. If I keep my head in the game and pick my spots, I think I have a shot of catching on somewhere.”
Bray could latch on with anyone as an undrafted free agent. The summer league is a chance to play in an organized setting against a group of young players all in a similar boat. The next step is trying to find out who was impressed.
”My agent and I have focused on seeing what happens in summer league,” Bray said. “I played well enough in my workout at L.A. to get a few workouts from there. Now I’m in the summer league. I’m not trying to look too far.”
T.J. Bray didn’t need long to show what he’s possible of at the next level. He looked comfortable and confident in his debut, just as he has for the last four years at Princeton.
”I’m doing the best I can to represent Princeton and the Ivy League and the Princeton offense in general,” Bray said, adding, “After the summer league is over, I look forward to looking back on the whole process.”