When Darius Bazley was selected 23rd overall in the 2019 draft, a lot of Thunder fans were confused by the selection. Why would a win-now team select a young, raw, rookie over a seasoned collegiate athlete like Brandon Clarke or Grant Williams?
The state of Bazley’s play was a mystery heading into Summer League after he skipped over college and overseas basketball completely in order to train for the NBA and finish his internship at New Balance.
Heading into the season, fans and reporters alike were questioning whether Bazley would start his NBA career in the G-League with the Oklahoma City Blue or possibly ride the Thunder’s bench in a Deonte Burton-like role with the Thunder.