Thunder Forward Darius Bazley Thriving in New Bench Role
Being confined to the bench would be the kiss of death for most young players. A sign that your coach, front office or most likely both have lost faith that you have what it takes to contribute. Instead, opting to give your minutes to an even younger, less experienced player.
Darius Bazley’s regression statistically is substantial from last season, with his numbers down in every category aside from blocks.
Following a two-point, two-rebound performance in a Dec. 15 loss to the Pelicans, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault opted to move his third year forward to the bench for the foreseeable future.
His next three games, all off the bench, came as his first stint with the reserves since his 2019-20 rookie campaign that saw 52 bench appearances.
Bazley is playing marginally a few minutes off the bench, 25.2, down from the 27.4 he was averaging with the starters. But being able to pick and choose when and where he fills in has done wonders for his production.
Over this stretch Bazley is averaging 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and a whopping 2.7 blocks — a number that would rank second in the NBA.
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“He’s embracing the circumstances, rolling with the punches and flowing with the decision,'' Daigneault said. “We know what he’s capable of and now it’s like ‘How do we tap into that more consistently?’”
Consistency is exactly what the OKC needs from Bazley. All season long he has been a good barometer of where the Thunder are at. OKC is 9-3 when Bazley reaches double digit points, and now are 3-0 since his move to the bench.
In the starting lineup Bazley filled in as either the third or fourth scoring options on a given night, but having that option off the bench while adding the stability that a Jeremiah Robinson-Earl provides to a starting unit.
Wednesday night’s win vs. the Nuggets showed exactly how Bazley can be used to maximize his skillset.
With Mike Muscala unavailable, and Robinson-Earl in the starting lineup, Bazley became the de facto center for the bench unit. Daigneault referenced the Clippers use of Terrence Mann as a modified center as the blueprint for what the Thunder can do with Bazley — giving the Thunder a fifth ball-handler and shooter while still having some semblance of size and paint presence.
It worked to near-perfection as Bazley posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in 27 minutes — closing out the fourth quarter in place of Derrick Favors. Bazley was able to contribute substantially from his role while also allowing the Thunder starters to go +15 without him.
Daigneault said it’s likely Bazley will see himself back into the starting lineup at some point this season — even if not full time — but until then he will get a chance to show his ability in a variety of different roles for the Thunder’s reserve unit.
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