Darius Bazley Flourishing in Role with Thunder

Since last season, it was understood that this could easily be a career-defining season for Darius Bazley. There were times he looked incredible last season, and there were times he was played off the court.

Bazley has quickly become one of the Thunder’s top defenders and a big part of the Thunder’s solid defense. It’s become a big part of his game off the bench, and makes his minutes much more valuable when the stats don’t show up. He’s mastered the timing of blocks, which has been a great way to utilize his athleticism.

In his young career, Bazley is averaging just under ten points per game and six rebounds per game. Again, his impact this season isn’t primarily shown in the box score. He may show for two blocks, but it’s the well-timed contests that come consistently, and he’s shown a consistent effort.

While he continues to show improvement in terms of body language and effort, it seems that the lack of a rookie contract extension for Bazley has sparked some effort.

The expectations for Bazley have changed, as he didn’t pan out to be some superstar that can survive with high usage rate, but he has shown he can be a solid role player and spark plug in the future for the Thunder.
To respond to adversity after not securing a starting spot and not getting an extension is a bright sign for Bazley and his potential to play a role on this team as the rebuild progresses to the next stages.

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