OKC Thunder: Darius Bazley working on shooting is big for Thunder future

The OKC Thunder saw a down year from beyond the arc from their second-year forward. The now 21-year-old shot a lowly 29-percent from deep, while pouring in 13-points, seven rebounds, nearly two assists, and an ineffective 39-percent from the floor.

OKC Thunder forward Darius Bazley is taking shooting progression seriously this offseason

In the NBA Bubble, Darius Bazley had a true breakout. After a solid rookie year that was put on pause before the season was due to injuries, Bazley came back better than ever in the bubble. At Disney World, the rookie posted 13-points per game, six rebounds per game, an assist, and nearly a block per tilt. Most importantly, Bazley shot the trey ball at a 46-percent clip on two attempts per contest.

With expectations sky-high, a shiny new starting spot, and a new head coach, Darius Bazley struggled out of the gate this year. His shooting numbers clearly came crashing down, though there are many players who suffered a regression from their bubble ball shooting clips.

This season, Bazley dealt with injuries, fracturing his shoulder which sidelined him for a lot of the second half. The second young wing only played in 55 of the Thunder’s 72 contests.

It is important to give the season context for Darius Bazley, once considered a key part of the OKC rebuild, now he seems like the first player on the chopping block.

Outside of the injury, Bazley started the season as the Thunder’s primary defender, a challenge he accepted with open arms but one that wore on him. The versatile wing had a stretch early in the season (games 4-9) where he was tasked with defending Zion, Nikola Vucevic, Bam, Zion, Julias Randle, and KD.

His usage rate also jumped into the 82nd percentile, 21.3-percent, compared to his 14-percent usage rate in his rookie season. This can be attributed to his minutes per game leaping from 17-minutes to 30-minutes.

Opposing teams went from ignoring the high-upside bench player his rookie season, to game planning how to take him away in year two.

That new defensive role was not the only change, his offensive mold was also altered. Bazley went from re-locating off-ball, freely cutting, and even having looks as a post-up scorer and playmaker to…standing in the corner all game…while shooting 29-percent from deep.

Mark Daigneault’s new-look offense is supposed to benefit no player more than Bazley, instead, he was the only player who truly regressed. The new OKC Thunder bench boss wants versatility, and every player to be able to handle the ball.

With Bazley’s elite rebounding ability plus elite ball-handling and passing, this should’ve been a breakout year for the former New Balance Intern.

Darius Bazley’s only area of consistency was his poor three-point shooting a year ago. In the six-month season, Bazley shot 26-percent or less from deep in all but three months (30-percent in January, February, and 32-percent in an eight-game May sample).

The real concerning part about Darius Bazley’s shooting numbers is the fact that he only improved his rim percentage. While he converts 59-percent of the time at the rim, shooting 28-percent from the mid-range, 27-percent from the corner three, and 29-percent from non-corner threes. Getting worse in the corners is not a recipe for success.

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After playing in a recreational Ohio Summer League, Bazley is now possibly working out with well-known NBA shooting coach “lethal shooter”, Chris Matthews.

Darius Bazley reposted an Instagram post from the well-known NBA shooting coach, giving a shoutout to Matthews for building his own brand and never quitting.

In his third NBA season, if the Thunder forward can become even respectable from beyond the arc, with the athleticism, playmaking, and finishing ability, it would put his career back on track.

With the rise of Aleksej Pokusevski coming, possibly three new rookies added to the roster next week, Theo Maledon’s projected progression, the OKC Thunder will eventually need a sweetener. It is impossible for Sam Presti to utilize every draft pick he is acquired, he will eventually push all-in on a trade for a star. When the time comes, the question for the young guys currently on the roster, who will be the Splenda to those draft picks?