OKC Thunder: 3 season goals for Darius Bazley in 2020-21

With a successful rookie season in the books, Darius Bazley should set three goals for his 2020-21 season.

Darius Bazley captivated us all of the 2019-20 season. He may have been overshadowed by the play of Luguentz Dort but it seemed that Bazley shone brighter and brighter for the OKC Thunder the longer the season went on.

It can be said that Bazley never lacked confidence in himself. He came into training camp showing a tremendous sense of humor. This off-court confidence translated quite well on the court when Bazley was inside the arc or heading to the rim for one of his incredible dunks.

Bazley started the season shooting well from deep but as he started missing shots, his confidence waned. Famously Chris Paul told the rookie he wouldn’t be passing him the ball unless he believed that Bazley could make the shot.

How Darius Bazley’s confidence grew with the OKC Thunder

Apart from the confidence shown by the team leader, Bazley was able to gain belief in himself by going to his strengths. He was incredible when taking the ball to the hoop in the half-court set. The other way he was able to involve himself was by running hard in transition.

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Bazley also had to step into the starting lineup when Danilo Gallinari was out and he certainly held his own. The secret was that he did not try and replicate the game of Gallinari, he stayed true to his own game.

Then came the NBA restart in the bubble and Bazely exploded. He averaged 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 27.5 minutes per game. He was the first OKC Thunder rookie to have three consecutive 20 point games since James Harden. Now, let’s take a look at the three goals for the 2020-21 season.