CLEVELAND — When the San Antonio Spurs landed in Northeast Ohio, more than one of Malaki Branham's senses alerted him to being on his old stomping grounds.
"When I first got off the plane, I could just smell the Midwest," Branham said. "I was like, 'It's good to be back.'"
Branham experienced his first NBA homecoming game Monday night, when the Spurs fell 117-109 to the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. He started his sixth consecutive game and scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting (72.7%) and tallied two assists, two steals and a rebound in 29 minutes.
Although Branham was born and raised in Columbus, he lived in Akron for four years while attending St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and winning two Division II state championships with the Irish.
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The Cavs are the closest thing Branham has to a hometown NBA team, and the rookie's loved ones treated his Cleveland professional debut accordingly. Among those Branham said would be in attendance were family members, including his mother, grandmother and uncle; former coaches, including STVM's Dru Joyce II ; and old high school teammates, including Darrian Lewis .
"The people that's been supporting me all the way," Branham said.
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Branham, 19, was a star AAU pupil of longtime basketball coach Danyelle Love . She attended the game between the Spurs (14-44) and Cavs (38-22) with one of her former assistants, Ronald McCormick, otherwise known as "Coach Quack."
"Tonight is definitely special," said Love, who's now the eighth-grade boys basketball coach at the I Promise School in Akron. "It's just a sweet moment.
"It's just a dream come true. I get to watch my baby do what I told him he was going to do — what he earned."
After Branham won Ohio's Mr. Basketball award as a STVM senior, he parlayed his Big Ten Freshman of the Year season at Ohio State into becoming a first-round draft pick this past June, when the Spurs selected him 20th overall .
A 6-foot-4 guard, Branham had a pre-draft meeting with the Cavs and explained he thought there was a strong chance they would draft him 14th overall. Instead, they chose Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji , who was later sent to the Utah Jazz in the trade for All-Star Donovan Mitchell .
When Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff studied Branham prior to the draft, he saw similarities to Cleveland guard Caris LeVert .
"[Branham has] a similar skill set, that size, kind of that offbeat game to get to his spot, difficult to guard, getting to the basket, creating mid-range shots," Bickerstaff said. "He's another one of those guys that it's just going to be a matter of opportunity. He is a good basketball player."
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Peering through an everything-happens-for-a-reason lens is Branham's approach. He's comfortable in San Antonio, Texas.
"I'm not really a guy that does a lot," he said. "It's a calm city, so I love it."
The Spurs are compatible with Branham, too. He has appeared in 44 games this season with 11 starts and is averaging 8.8 points on 43.4% shooting from the field, two rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Earlier this season, the Spurs repeatedly assigned Branham to the G League to aid his progression. However, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said those days have ended and complimented Branham for his demeanor and pace on the floor.
"He really is comfortable on the court more so than most people his age would ever think about being," Popovich said. "He's not in a hurry. He's not intimidated by anything. He's learning a lot."
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Popovich isn't the only legendary NBA figure to give Branham a boost this season.
A memorable moment unfolded when Branham met fellow STVM graduate LeBron James for the first time. James has long been a supporter of Branham from afar, but they didn't have a face-to-face interaction until the Spurs, who are in the midst of a 13-game losing streak, visited the Los Angeles Lakers in November.
"He said, 'If you ever need anything, you know you can just hit me up,'" Branham said. "He said he's proud of me. He said keep working. So that was kind of the first conversation in person, but it was just so inspiring seeing him, and it's crazy he just broke the [NBA's all-time scoring] record ."
Branham has received increased minutes and played point guard, a positioned he manned occasionally at Ohio State, partly because Tre Jones recently has been dealing with a foot injury.
"Even though we've had a lot of injuries over the year, [Branham] still would've been playing," Popovich said. "He's earned that position. He's not just playing because people are hurt. He's really developed quickly."
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Branham has capitalized on the opportunities, scoring more than 20 points in three games this month — 22 on Feb. 1 against Sacramento, 26 on Feb. 3 against Philadelphia and a career-high 27 on Friday against Detroit.
"It's just me being more aggressive," he said, "me just taking my shots that I know I can make, but me just forcing the issue.
"Also on the defensive end, I feel like my game has gotten a lot better from the start of this season. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm definitely seeing improvements on both sides of the ball."
Spurs rookie guard Blake Wesley has spent portions of his G Leagues assignments with Branham and is excited about his teammate emerging since then.
With 6:55 left in the fourth quarter, Branham made a spectacular layup in traffic to keep some pressure on the Cavs.
"He's getting his confidence," Wesley said. "He's playing more. He's playing better. Pop's trusting him. He has the ball in his hands a lot, so that's a good thing. I didn't know he would be doing it this season, but as a rookie he's really impressive."
Love has grown accustomed to others underestimating Branham. He took a while to get rolling in AAU, high school and college, yet he has thrived at every stage thus far.
"I don't think it's going to be any different in the NBA," the I Promise School coach said. "It's just his way. He sits back. He studies. The successful part I already know is going to come."
The evidence exists.
And for Branham, it gives off a satisfying fragrance like a trip home.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Malaki Branham impresses for Spurs in Ohio homecoming vs. Cavs
