NBA AM: Briante Weber Gets His Opportunity

Briante Weber sat at his locker on Wednesday night and praised his former college teammate at Virginia Commonwealth University for recruiting him to sign with the Charlotte Hornets. 

After spending four years together at VCU, Weber is excited to have the opportunity again to play with Treveon Graham. The two were roommates in college and have already spent some time this season reliving some old memories from VCU.

“Being able to play with my brother again, it’s just something you don’t really do as much leaving college,” Weber told Basketball Insiders. “That pretty much sums it up. Plus, the opportunity to be able to play. Ramon [Sessions] was out. [They] needed a third backup point guard so I just saw the opportunity to come here and grow.”

Once Weber became a free agent after signing a pair of 10-day contracts with the Golden State Warriors, Graham quickly went to work to recruit Weber to sign with the Hornets.

It’s fitting the two are neighbors inside of the Hornets’ locker room. As the two friends try to find their way in the NBA as young players, they can benefit by having the opportunity to share the experience together.

“It’s a good thing to have him here,” Graham told Basketball Insiders. “He’s kind of the reason I went to VCU. He wanted me to go to VCU, so I repaid the favor. I guess him coming here, I can help on the things that he needs help with, whether it’s plays or getting to know the city. I think it’s just easier with him to come here. I’m here to help him out.”

The two players experienced their fair share of success during their run at VCU. Weber earned Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons and led the nation in steals in 2014. He turned in his best season during his junior year when he averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

Graham was a two-time All-Atlantic-10 First Team player and was also named the 2015 Atlantic-10 Tournament Most Valuable Player. He had his best season as a senior when he averaged 16.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He led VCU in scoring and rebounding that season.

The Rams made the NCAA Tournament in each year Weber and Graham played there.

“I’m pretty sure the statistics speak for itself,” Weber said. “We pretty much handled business when we were there. It was fun times. We had our moments where we weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, but at the same time, we were roommates.”

*****

Weber’s path to the Hornets has taken a few twists and turns along the way. He went undrafted in 2015 after rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered during his senior year. Prior to the injury, he was just 12 steals short of becoming the NCAA’s all-time career leader.

He signed with the Miami HEAT during training camp that year and would later join the Sioux Falls Skyforce as an affiliate player of the HEAT. He signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies that season and eventually signed for the rest of the season with the HEAT.

Weber began to make a name for himself in the D-League as a player that can make an impact on both ends of the floor. After winning Defensive Player of the Year three times in the Atlantic-10, those skills translated to the next level.

During his first season in the D-League, Weber averaged 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game, while also recording one triple-double. He improved those numbers to 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 3.3 steals per game this season in the D-League.

He hasn’t played in the D-League since February 2, but his five triple-doubles this season are still the most among all players.

“He really didn’t do anything new,” Graham said. “That’s all the things I know he’s capable of doing. So, when I see it, I’m happy for him, but I also know that’s his thing that he’s able to do, so it wasn’t a surprise.”

Weber made headlines this season in dramatic fashion when he nearly recorded a quadruple-double. He finished with 18 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and nine steals on January 31 against the Oklahoma City Blue. It would have been the first quadruple-double in D-League history.

Given his ability to fill up a stat sheet in several different categories, it seems inevitable that he’ll one day accomplish the rare feat. While there have been no quadruple-doubles recorded in the D-League, there have only been four recorded in NBA history. 

“I’ve been close to a quadruple-double before,” Weber said. “I actually was close in college, so it’s just a matter of time. Hopefully, I can actually get one to fulfill it but at the same time I’m just going to play and if it happens, it happens.”

He didn’t know during the game that he was that close to making history.

“I wish they would have [told me],” Weber said. “I don’t think coaches really condone the stats. I’m not really a statistician; I just know it usually happens when I play without knowing. That was a game where I was pretty much everywhere.”

*****

Many around the league wondered why it took so long for Weber to finally get an opportunity. He spent last summer playing for the HEAT’s Summer League team and already began to show flashes of his ability to impact a game. In one game during the Orlando Summer League, Weber recorded nine points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals.

As Weber put up big numbers in the D-League, he was left to watch as others around the D-League continuously were called up and given an opportunity to prove themselves. It would be easy to sit back and get upset about not earning a call-up, but he took a different approach and stayed patient.

“I kind of knew that’s how it was going to be because that was just how it was when I was recruited,” Weber said. “I wasn’t really recruited. I had to wait my turn, so that gave me patience. I wasn’t really frustrated. I just continued to go out there and work because, in the back of my mind, I kind of knew the time was going to come and when the time did come, I needed to be ready.”

Now, Weber will have the rest of the season to make a case to solidify his place in the NBA. The Hornets announced on Sunday that they signed Weber to a multi-year contract. He’ll remain guaranteed for the rest of this season, while the next two years will be non-guaranteed.

In seven games with the Hornets, Weber is averaging 4.3 points, two rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.6 minutes per game. He turned in his best outing with the Hornets last week against the Indiana Pacers when he recorded eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

As he has for most of his career, he’ll be playing in the NBA with a chip on his shoulder.

“It’s just how I play anyway,” Weber said. “I’m always going to play with the mentality that is kill-first and then keep attacking as much as I can. I’m going to keep going and keep attacking for every minute that I’m out there.”

If he has played at every level of basketball with that mindset, it might be scary to see what he can accomplish now that he has an opportunity in the NBA.