Darius Bazley has to improve if he wants second contract with Thunder

Darius Bazley is expected to hit restricted free agency during the 2023 off-season. This past off-season, Thunder GM Sam Presti locked up both Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams to long-term contracts. So why was Darius Bazley not extended? Well, he hasn’t shown enough just yet for Presti to throw him a long-term deal. This means he is going to have to step up this season to show that he can be a contributor to the team moving forward.

Darius Bazley has to improve during the 2022-23 NBA season to carve out a future with the Oklahoma City Thunder

Darius Bazley’s path to the Thunder was interesting, to say the least. In 2018, Bazley made the surprising decision to de-commit from Syracuse and take a $1 million internship with New Balance. This choice did not hurt his draft stock, as he was still a first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

In his rookie season, he only averaged 50 points per game in just 18 minutes, but he showed flashes, specifically in the NBA Bubble. He scored 20 points in three consecutive games, which earned him the starting job for the 2020-21 season.

Bazley started every game he played for the Thunder in his sophomore season, scoring 13 points per game and hauling in seven rebounds per game. However, he struggled shooting the ball, making just 39 percent of his shots from the floor, and only 29 percent of his three-pointers.

This past season, Bazley failed to make a jump in his offensive game, scoring just 10 points per game and losing his starting spot during the season. He still showed his athleticism and potential, but his inconsistency is certainly a concern for Presti moving forward.

The 2022-23 season is Bazley’s year to prove that he can be a key piece moving forward. With 2022 draftee Chet Holmgren out for the season due to a foot injury, there’s a good chance Bazley will find himself in the starting lineup come October.

From there, Bazley has to show improvement. If he can be a consistently good three-point shooter, especially in the corner, where he finds himself open a lot, he could cement himself as a building block moving forward for this franchise. A season ago, Bazley shot just 33 percent on corner triples, a lowly career-high.

He has all the athletic tools necessary to succeed in the NBA. He can handle the ball well for his size, plays defense at an elite level, and is a great player to have floating around the basket because of his verticality.

If he can be a reliable perimeter shooter this season, he would earn a long-term contract from the Thunder. If not, Bazley could be let go in favor of other players in a roster crunch.

As the Thunder continue to utilize draft capital and make trades, the roster size becomes bigger and bigger, which OKC still has to deal with this off-season. This off-season, Isaiah Roby had to be waived to make room for the other guys. If Bazley doesn’t progress this season, he could be allowed to walk in free agency.

Watching Bazley play basketball for the past three years has been rough at times, but he can be a really good player in this league. he is one of the longest-tenured Thunder players, and a lot of fans would like to see him be a long-term player for OKC, but it all comes down to how he plays this upcoming season.