The Rookie
There were definite glimpses from the OKC Thunder rookie Darius Bazley at Summer League in Vegas of what Sam Presti saw in the youngster.
That said, Bazley is still very young (just turned 19) and his game is far from what it will be in a few seasons. With the Thunder now in rebuild mode, the question is whether that translates into the team electing to fast track the youngster by playing him more with the varsity squad.
The logical decision would be to have Bazley build his game in the G-League with the OKC Blue. But, in a rebuild mode, the logic can sometimes shift to getting players who’ll become a part of the potential core of the future minutes now. Expediting talent becomes the new objective.
Again, Bazley projects to be someone who could step into a 3 and D role for OKC and presumably replace what Andre Roberson once provided but with more emphasis on the offensive side of that equation.