OKC Thunder will get rookie Darius Bazley for more of the season.

OKC Thunder rookie Darius Bazley will get more court time thanks to the suspension of the season. This will provide a tremendous benefit to the club.

Having been without rookie Darius Bazley since he suffered a bone bruise on his right knee the OKC Thunder options were limited at forward. Thanks to the season being suspended, Bazley can come back with more of the season left to play.

Rookie Darius Bazley was a staple in the lineup for the first 53 games. Then he suffered a bone bruise against the Boston Celtics which was expected to keep him out for four to six weeks.

The injury occurred on Feb 9th so he is right in the middle of being expected back. As we know the NBA season has been suspended for a minimum of 30 days. This means that Bazley should be healthy for a period of time before the season starts again.

This is going to give Bazley time to recover properly, without the pressure of having to come back into the lineup, even starting games when he might not be ready.

The OKC Thunder medical or coaching staff would never push him to do something that he is not comfortable with.

However, Bazley saw how the team played against the Bucks without either power forward on the roster. Danilo Gallinari was sitting out due to ankle soreness.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Bazley is a competitor and would not have liked what he saw. He may only be averaging 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds but he makes a huge difference in transition, both offensively and defensively. He also plays with tremendous energy until he has given his all.

He also has better size and athleticism to guard opposition fours. Although he would have been soundly beaten by Giannis Antetokounmpo he would have stood more of a chance than Hamidou Diallo who the OKC Thunder had to use against the Greek Freak.

However, Bazley now has a sort of mid-season mini-camp situation where he can work on aspects of his game that Coach Billy Donovan can highlight now that he has seen him in regular-season action.

If there is a silver lining I can take from the dark cloud of the NBA season suspension it is the fact I will get to see Bazley play more OKC Thunder games this season.

He is a joy to watch and is a big part of the future of the OKC Thunder with his energy, intensity, and athleticism.