Jayvon Graves Explained

Jayvon Graves
Position:Point guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lbs:200
League:LKL
BCL
Team:Rytas Vilnius
Number:3
Birth Date:29 December 1998
Birth Place:Canton, Ohio, U.S.
High School:St. Vincent–St. Mary
(Akron, Ohio)
College:Buffalo (2017–2021)
Draft Year:2021
Career Start:2021
Years1:2021–2022
Team1:Austin Spurs
Years2:2022–2023
Team2:Limoges CSP
Years3:2023–2024
Team3:MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
Years4:2024–present
Team4:Rytas Vilnius
Highlights:
  • First-team All-MAC (2020)
  • Second-team All-MAC (2021)

Jayvon Donnell Graves (born December 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the BCL. He played college basketball for the Buffalo Bulls.

High school career

Graves was born in Canton, Ohio but grew up in Malvern, Ohio. He began playing basketball at the age of six and was also a star player in baseball and football.[1] He attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School where he was coached by Dru Joyce II.[2] As a senior, he helped St. Vincent-St. Mary to its first state title since 2011 and 25–5 record. He scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the title game.[3] Graves averaged 21.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He shared All-Ohio Player of the Year honors in Division II with Trotwood High School's Torrey Patton, and Graves was named cleveland.com Boys Basketball Player of the Year.[4] In AAU play, he competed for the King James Shooting Stars.[3] Graves was a three-star recruit with offers from 13 schools, including MAC schools Toledo and Kent State, but signed with Buffalo. He said he was drawn to the Bulls because of "the style of play, the atmosphere, closeness to home and the coaching staff," particularly Nate Oats.[5]

College career

As a freshman, Graves played in all 36 games and averaged 5.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per-game. He helped the team finish 27–9 and defeat Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, he became a starter, contributing 9.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Graves helped the Bulls finish a school-record 32–4 and defeat Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national runner-up Texas Tech.[6] His best game as a sophomore came on February 19, 2019, when he tallied 26 points in a 114–67 blowout win over Ohio.[7]

Coming into his junior season, Graves was the leading returning scorer on a team that lost C. J. Massinburg, Nick Perkins and Jeremy Harris to graduation.[3] On February 21, 2020, Graves scored a career-high 33 points in a 104–98 double overtime win at Kent State. As a junior, Graves led Buffalo in scoring at 17.1 points per game in addition to averaging 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 32 games, all starts. He set the program record for field goals attempted in a season with 479, and his 204 made field goals are third highest in a season at Buffalo. He was named to the First Team All-MAC. Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent. On June 6, Graves announced he was withdrawing from the draft and returning to Buffalo.[8] On March 2, 2021, he posted a triple-double with 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in an 80–78 win over Akron.[9] As a senior, Graves averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.[10] He was named to the Second Team All-MAC.[11]

Professional career

Austin Spurs (2021–2022)

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Graves signed with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League on October 27, 2021.[12]

Limoges CSP (2022–2023)

He signed with Limoges CSP of the LNB Pro A on July 30, 2022.[13] On December 22, 2022, Graves' NBA G League rights were traded from the Austin Spurs to the Windy City Bulls.[14]

Riesen Ludwigsburg (2023–2024)

On July 3, 2023, he signed with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the Basketball Bundesliga.[15]

Rytas Vilnius (2024–present)

On July 25, 2024, Graves signed with Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the BCL.[16]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo| 36 || 1 || 16.3 || .380 || .325 || .600 || 2.3 || 1.0 || .5 || .8 || 5.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo| 36 || 35 || 24.9 || .457 || .372 || .625 || 4.2 || 1.9 || .8 || .8 || 9.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo | 32 || 32 || 34.4 || .426 || .360 || .647 || 5.4 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .7 || 17.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo| 25 || 25 || 34.4 || .409 || .281 || .575 || 6.1 || 3.8 || 1.4 || .9 || 14.2|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 129 || 93 || 26.7 || .422 || .340 || .615 || 4.3 || 2.2 || .9 || .8 || 11.1

Personal life

Graves is the son of Brandy Prior and Aaron Graves, and he has an older brother Jalen. His grandfather, James Pryor Jr., was an Ohio state player of the year in high school.[1] Graves is a Christian. He majored in communication with a minor in sociology at Buffalo. He cites LeBron James as his favorite athlete.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: McCleary . Michael . Jayvon Graves, from Akron, Ohio to Buffalo is building a legacy for himself . April 17, 2020 . The Daily Orange . December 25, 2017.
  2. News: Beaven . Michael . Buffalo's Jayvon Graves of Malvern enters NBA Draft . April 17, 2020 . . March 25, 2020.
  3. News: DeCicco . Anthony . A quiet leader . April 17, 2020 . Buffalo Spectrum . December 5, 2019.
  4. News: Goul . Matt . Meet cleveland.com's 2016-17 boys basketball all-stars . April 6, 2020 . . April 12, 2017.
  5. News: Weiss . Justin . Draft dreams: Jayvon Graves mulls NBA future . April 17, 2020 . Buffalo Spectrum . March 25, 2020.
  6. News: Beaven . Michael . Former St. V-M star Jayvon Graves enters NBA Draft, maintains college eligibility . April 17, 2020 . . March 25, 2020.
  7. News: No. 25 Buffalo stampedes Ohio for 23rd straight home win . April 17, 2020 . . . February 19, 2019.
  8. News: Beaven . Michael . Jayvon Graves withdraws from NBA Draft, returning to Buffalo for senior year . August 2, 2020 . . June 6, 2020.
  9. News: Graves triple-double lifts Buffalo over Akron 80–78 . June 17, 2021 . . . March 2, 2021.
  10. News: Decicco . Anthony . Jayvon Graves signs with Sports International Group ahead of NBA Draft . June 17, 2021 . Buffalo Spectrum . April 8, 2021.
  11. 2020-21 Men's Basketball Postseason Awards Announced. . March 10, 2021 . March 10, 2021.
  12. Austin Spurs. 1453389119367925764. Our 2021-22 training camp roster is set!. austin_spurs. October 27, 2021. November 1, 2021.
  13. Web site: Javyon Graves joins Limoges . Sportando . August 2, 2022 . July 30, 2022.
  14. Web site: 2022-23 NBA G League Transactions. gleague.nba.com. December 22, 2022. December 22, 2022.
  15. Web site: Aus Limoges nach Ludwigsburg: Jayvon Graves. July 3, 2023. mhp-riesen-ludwigsburg.de. de. August 6, 2023.
  16. Web site: Prie Vilniaus „Ryto“ jungiasi 25-erių gynėjas Jayvon Graves. Rytas Vilnius. lt. July 25, 2024. July 25, 2024.