ANALYSIS: Dort Headlines Oklahoma City's 2019 Draft Class

As Oklahoma City’s 2019 rookie class, Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley are going to be somewhat linked for their entire stay with the Thunder organization.

This year, the microscope was honed in on the duo as they were pegged as part of the future core before the season.

Dort certainly lived up to that billing in 2020-21, as he continued his high level of play on the defensive end while also flashing the potential to be a legitimate scoring threat on any given night in the NBA.

The Canadian captured the imagination of Thunder fans over a seven game stretch where he scored 15 points or more per game, including a 42 point explosion against Utah, a 26 point scoring night against Detroit and a 29 point game against Toronto in three consecutive contests.

Dort’s step forward from 3-point range is perhaps the most exciting development in his game, however, as he improved on his rookie season percentages from beyond the arc by nearly five percent.

But the inconsistencies were there in Dort’s offensive game, which is completely to be expected for a player who really hasn’t completed two full years in the NBA. He still had his incredibly inefficient nights, which led him to having essentially the same statistical output offensively as Bazley.

A big who has the ball skills and athleticism to stretch the floor, Bazley shot 39.6 percent from the floor (to Dort’s 38.7 percent) and averaged 13.7 points per game (to Dort’s 14.0). The big difference was the sharpshooting from deep, where Bazley only shot 29 percent for the year.

To continue to drift behind the arc, Bazley will have to shoot the ball better from deep to pose a real threat to NBA defenses. Currently, taking 5.2 3’s per game at a 29 percent clip strikes fear in the heart of nobody.

The real separation between the two was on the defensive end of the floor.

Though Bazley isn’t expected to be an All-NBA caliber defender like Dort is projected, he was woeful to start the year when he drew some of the tougher assignments amongst Thunder players.

Not only was he ineffective on defense, it bled over into his offensive production as well, leading to inefficient shooting nights.

After he returned from injury, the circumstances changed and Bazley flashed his potential.

Playing alongside more traditional centers in Moses Brown and Tony Bradley, Bazley looked much more comfortable on both ends of the floor. Not anchored to the paint, Bazley was much more active defensively, and he appeared to unlock a new level of aggression on the offensive end.

READ MORE:

Darius Bazley 2020-21 Report Card

Lu Dort 2020-21 Report Card

For the second straight year, Bazley entered the offseason on a high. He will have to continue to hone his craft in the offseason to start out on the same level as when he left it to close the season.

He’ll have to continue to progress to ensure he’s not a player who’s success is contingent on the roster around him, unlike Dort who looks like he could be dropped onto any roster in the league and succeed.

Add us as a preferred source on Google