OKC Thunder: Darius Bazley faces a make or break season in 2021-22

The OKC Thunder begins training camp in three weeks…yes, three weeks from now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Lu Dort, Aleksej Pokusevski, and company will be returning to Bricktown going through NBA media days and returning to the court under second-year head coach Mark Daigneault.

Six weeks from now, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be playing their first regular-season game of an 82 game marathon. If all goes well, it will be the first time Darius Bazley gets to experience a full NBA season. This year is being dubbed a make-or-break campaign for the former New Balance intern.

OKC Thunder forward Darius Bazley faces critical season ahead

The career arc of Darius Bazley is an interesting one. On NBA Draft night in 2019 when Sam Presti selected the forward, Thunder fans screamed “who?” into the void, scrambling for any high school highlights or backstories they could find of their newly added prospect.

A somewhat mundane regular season led to a bubble outburst for Bazley who dominated from beyond the arc, averaging 46-percent from deep, 13-points, six rebounds, with nearly a block and two assists per tilt.

Playing the small ball five in the postseason against the Houston Rockets, who lacked a true center on their roster, Bazley shot 50-percent from three-point land, posting six points, six rebounds, and an assist per game.

Fans left the postseason wondering why then bench boss Billy Donovan did not give the rookie more minutes.

After a shortened offseason, a complete roster turnover, and a coaching change OKC Thunder fans expected Darius Bazley to turn himself into a true building block.

Now a starter, Bazley was tasked with key defensive assignments. To start the year, he was defending the likes of Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, Julius Randle, and Anthony Davis.

The 21-year-old played in just 55-games, posting 13-points and seven rebounds finishing just shy of two assists per clash. The issue comes with his efficiency as Bazley shot a poor 39-percent from the floor, 29-percent from deep, and even just 70-percent at the line.

The second-year player dealt with a shoulder injury midway through last season, post-injury, while Bazley was more aggressive his shooting splits never got better. While he did average 17-points, six rebounds, and two assists per game in the final 18-games he still shot just 40-percent from the floor, and 29-percent from three while his free throw shooting remained at 70-percent.

It is safe to say last season was a huge letdown for everyone involved. While every other player progressed under Mark Daigneault, Darius Bazley was the lone player to take a noticeable step back.

Bazley has many areas to improve on, such as being more aggressive, knocking down more shots, and staying engaged in games his lack of production was not all on him.

Mark Daigneault elected to use Bazley as a stationary player a year ago, standing in the corner, or at the break of the three-point line, and jacking up triples. That is not his game, as Sam Presti and Daigneault build out this totally position-less roster built on versatility it should allow the Ohio native to thrive.

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At 6’8 Darius Bazley is a great rebounder and playmaker for his season, utilizing him in more on-ball settings could go a long way in seeing an increase of production. Each side is hoping for the best this year.

For the Thunder, of course, they want to end up being right about investing the 21st pick into Bazley, and for Darius Bazley he is eligible for an extension after this season.

The club still controls a 4.2-million dollar club option on the now third-year player for the 2022-23 season before he becomes an RFA in 2023.

For any player, security is the name of the game, especially one that elected to bet on himself foregoing college for a New Balance partnership. If Bazley balls out he will be able to cash in this offseason.

Thus, this season marks a make-or-break campaign. As a big Bazley believer, even dubbing him Building Block Bazley, the potential is worth buying into, and something that is very obtainable.

While his NBA future should not be in doubt, what is in question is if that future is in Oklahoma City. The Thunder will collect three first-round picks this season, while already facing a minutes crunch for young prospects this season.

The roster turnover will be fierce this upcoming offseason, and Sam Presti is still eyeing a blockbuster trade. It was made clear during the 2021 NBA Draft, that a trade featuring only future first-round picks is not enough, the Thunder need sweeteners added to the package.

This season will go a long way in determining if Darius Bazley is that additional Splenda packet you carefully pour into your coffee, or if he is the Keurig.