OKC Thunder forward Darius Bazley breaks out vs Nuggets

The OKC Thunder continued their preseason slate with their third of four games, this time welcoming the Denver Nuggets to the Paycom Center in Downtown Oklahoma City. The two squads will match up again Thursday on the second night of a back-to-back, that time in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the BOK Center.

Mark Daigneault made it clear to those of us in the media after practice on Tuesday that the regulars would not play much if at all on the second night of a back-to-back.

Tonight in all likelihood was the last meaningful night of preseason basketball before the Oklahoma City Thunder turn the page to the regular season next Wednesday in Utah against the Jazz.

Darius Bazley breaks out in third OKC Thunder preseason game

All offseason long, the OKC Thunder media, fan base, and likely organization has viewed this as a make or break season for the third year forward Darius Bazley. While a poor showing this year by no means would ruin his NBA career, or see him fall out of the league this upcoming offseason, this campaign is an important step in his career when it comes to defining his role within the organization.

Is Darius Bazley a building block, as I have termed him, or someone that will just be a fine rotational player within the Association? The 2021-22 NBA season will go a long way in defining that.

Despite his quality play in the first two Thunder preseason games, the third-year wing and former New Balance Intern did not turn in quality box scores. This saw fans and some analysts, disappointed in his play. However, judging from more than just the box score the improvement was noticeable for Bazley.

Tonight, Darius Bazley finally found box score success. The forward was on fire to start this game, in the first half alone he poured in 14 points on 80-percent shooting from the floor, including 2-for-2 from three-point land. He also hauled in six rebounds and dished out an assist while collecting a steal on the defensive end all in the first half.

We even saw a few coast-to-coast finishes and opportunities for Bazley, something I have been pleading to see more of given his playmaking and ballhandling skillset at his size. With his ability to knock down 3’s, put the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic in the spin cycle for a score at the rim, as well as keep the offense within rhythm, his offensive upside is clear to see.

If tonight ends his preseason, this was quite the high note. Bazley finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 27 minutes.

Be sure to check back to Thunderous Intentions for the three key takeaways from this preseason game for the Oklahoma City Thunder.