OKC Thunder: 3 players who benefit most from Al Horford’s mentorship

OKC Thunder player No. 2) Darius Bazley

In response to the news that SGA was expected to miss an extended period of time as he recovers from plantar fasciitis, we tabbed second-year forward Darius Bazley as a player that must step up in his absence for, in the eyes of fans and media alike, he has the potential to be the ideal Robin to the All-Star snub’s Batman.

Now, with Al Horford serving solely as a veteran presence on the sideline, perhaps his mentorship can rub off on the 21-year-old and, in turn, help him navigate through his sophomore struggles.

Now, there’s no denying that Bazley has managed to up his per-game production in year two, as he’s posting averages of 11.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and just over half a block per game.

However, his turnouts tend to drastically shift from game to game, with one box-score reading 18 points and seven boards while in his follow-up outing we see him finish with just six points and five boards.

Consistency is key when looking to become a focal point within a team’s scheme, and what better person to teach a youngster about both stability and overcoming dry spells than Big Al?

Being a perennial All-Star (5x) during his prime, Horford certainly knows a thing or two about finding consistent success in this league while serving as a main option within his respective team’s frontcourt.

In regard to rising above shortcomings, look no further than the veteran’s improvements from last season to now, where he was viewed as a free agency bust in 2019-20 to a main contributor on an overachieving team in 2020-21.

For a guy like Bazley, uniformity in production and short-term memory will be key to overcoming these sophomore struggles. Horford is certainly a guy to look to for help in both these areas.