Back in the 2019 NBA Draft, the OKC Thunder opted to take a swing on the upside of prep-to-pro prospect Darius Bazley with the 23 overall selection.
Throughout his tenure with the organization, he certainly showed flashes of potential as a rotation player in the association. His length proved to be a problem for opposing players when on the defensive end, while his athleticism made him a fun fastbreak option as a streaker and lob threat.
Unfortunately, said potential was never able to be displayed on a consistent enough basis, and, as a result, midway through the 2022-23 campaign, the Thunder traded Bazley to the Phoenix Suns, where he would ride out the remainder of the season before spending the next two years bouncing in and out of the league.
Following an overseas stint with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association during the 2024-25 season, the former first-round pick now finds himself attempting to make an NBA comeback, as he's currently suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team.
Though he may have fizzled out of the league once, based on the way he's been performing during the annual offseason exhibitions, it seems rather likely that he'll be earning his right to return to the league in some capacity for the upcoming season, and, from the look of it, how LA is using him seems to be a major reason why.
Lakers have found a way to use Darius Bazley Thunder never did
For the vast majority of his time spent with the Thunder, Bazley was utilized as a long and lanky tweener forward, often shoved out to the mid-to-long range on offense and found squaring off against threes and fours when on defense.
With the Lakers, however, coach Lindsey Harding has decided to utilize the 25-year-old primarily as a center and, to the delight of the organization, the experiment has been a major success thus far.
Between both the California Classic and Las Vegas-based games, Bazley is posting impressive all-around averages of 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor.
His overall energy and hustle on the hardwood have truly been mesmerizing, especially when seen going up against some of this year's top-billed youngsters.
Bazley even managed to hold number one overall pick Cooper Flagg to a pedestrian 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting during their July 10 matchup.
With the Summer League close to winding down, Los Angeles will soon have to make a decision on whether they wish to hold onto Bazley's services for 2025-26. Even without his emergence this offseason, the cash-strapped Lakers may have realistically opted to extended a standard deal in his direction for depth purposes alone.
However, considering how well he's played following Harding's decision to move him primarily to the pivot, it appears that, be it in LA or elsewhere, the former Thunder forward is destined to return to the states as a highly athletic and energetic center.