OKC Thunder: The exponential rise of Darius Bazley
The OKC Thunder has witnessed exponential growth in Darius Bazley since entering the bubble.
The OKC Thunder have seen tremendous growth in their rookie, Darius Bazley from early in the season. Taken with the 23rd pick of the 2019 draft, there was always a hint of ‘project’ about Bazley. His growth, both within himself and on the court, is certainly impressive.
Bazley has never lacked for confidence off the court. He came into the squad with a sense of humor and has certainly endeared himself to his teammates, as well as the fans. On the court, his confidence has not shone through as brightly.
Bazley started out similar to most late first round picks. He had a small smattering of points, some rebounds and a good amount of turnovers. Then in his sixth game, Bazley scored 17 points in the second OKC Thunder win of the season.
On working together as a group to reach one common goal. @BazleyDarius at pregame media avail. #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/d6raNs8yUd
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 29, 2020
Even when struggling, Darius Bazley bought the energy for the OKC Thunder
He scored ten points the next game but then the rookie struggles began. It took him 25 more games to get back into double figures in points. He was always putting in work, collecting rebounds, being the first back in transition, or running the break. His energy was infectious.
However, Bazley seemed to be losing confidence on the offensive end of the court. He was regularly passing up open 3-point looks which is a sure sign of a lack of self-belief on offense. Chris Paul even said that he would not pass the rookie the ball if he did not believe that Bazley could make the shot.
Bazley then went through the rest of the regular season with the usual rookie bumps and bruises. His game was up and down, but you can never question his energy and effort. Then just prior to the All-Star break, Bazley suffered a bone bruise on his right knee.
He was expected to miss up to four weeks of action. This would get him back in mid March. Then COVID-19 happened. Six months after the injury, Bazley was back playing. Not only did he have time to rehab, he also had time to work on his game, knowing what was required of him.