Braxton Key Signs 10-Day Contract with Detroit Pistons

[caption id="attachment_1951" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Braxton Key has averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats during the 2021-22 season | Photo Credit: Joey Nicolo[/caption]

The Detroit Pistons have signed Braxton Key of the Delaware Blue Coats to a 10-day contract. 

Throughout its two decades in existence, the NBA G League has given countless basketball players the opportunity to develop their games and earn roles on NBA rosters. Khris Middleton, Jordan Clarkson, and Pascal Siakam are just some of the biggest names that have gone from hopefuls to full-time players in “The Show.” 

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Key, a 6’8 forward, could very well find himself among a group of that caliber, if given the opportunity. Here’s why.

Key, a 25-year old out of Virginia, was in the midst of his second season with the Delaware Blue Coats here in the G League, and showed tremendous improvement on the offensive end from year one to year two.

In his first season with the Blue Coats as an undrafted rookie, he averaged 4.3 points per game (ppg) in only 12 minutes of action a game. This season, though, he has become one of the main faces in Delaware, and a key component to the Coats’ success. He started in nineteen regular season games, averaging nearly 30 minutes per at the time of his call-up to the Pistons.

With the increased role, his offensive production skyrocketed; he has averaged 19.1 points per game, shooting 45% from the field, an increase from his 39% in his rookie season. His range has also extended beyond the three-point line, as he took 4.6 shots from deep each game, and converted on nearly 36% of them.

While his scoring prowess has been a clear area of improvement for Key, he has also embraced his team’s need for him to play big; in 2021-22, he grabbed 8 rebounds per game and blocked 1.6 blocks shots. He has often been asked to defend the opposing team’s biggest player, and when he is not, he is playing help defense on opponents’ scoring guards.

The Philadelphia 76ers signed Key to a ten-day contract on January 5, 2022.

As the Sixers found out, Key is the type of player that would fit on many rosters around the league. As he once said himself, he is a “guard in a big-man’s body.” He can guard 1-through-5, and believes his versatility can help him contribute to any team. 

“I can give them whatever they need,” said Key. “I can play defense, be an adaptable guy who can switch one through five, and rebound the ball. I would just play my role and do whatever the team asks of me.”

The belief that Key fits the mold of an NBA player and can contribute to a team is also echoed by his Blue Coats teammates.

 “Braxton [Key] has great versatility,” said teammate Demarcus Holland. “He has shown his ability to step out and hit the three-point shot. His midrange game is good, he can hit free throws, and defensively he can move off switches. Personally, I just think he needs an opportunity and he will take advantage of it.”

Whether it is this season in Detroit or in the future, Braxton Key is capable of contributing to a successful basketball team.

Matt Green is a student at Rowan University and contributor for the Delaware Blue Coats. For more of his work, visit TheWhitOnline.com.