OKC Thunder: 3 goals for Darius Bazley this offseason

OKC Thunder goal No.2) Shoot less from the perimeter

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph of slide No. 1, Darius Bazley’s shooting percentage from the field was nearly identical to his rookie campaign after doubling his attempts.

The scarier development from the increase of shooting is the minutes played per game for the sophomore forward. Bazley’s minutes have seen a rise from 18.5 per game in 2019-20 to 31.2 during the 2020-21 campaign.

This progress is noteworthy because if a player gets that many minutes and still does not see a rise in production, it will behoove the said player to look for other areas to become involved in the game.

For Darius, the 3-point shot is not the solution. The Thunder forward shot a meager 29 percent from downtown this season and had a better percentage on fewer attempts last year.

Subsequently, there has been a nice increase from his 2-point field goal percentage. His point per game averages went up from 5.6 in 2019-20 to 13.7 in 2020-21.

So for me, the answer is simple — Darius Bazley needs to spend less time out on the perimeter and, instead, more time driving the ball to the basket, where he is much more efficient.