It was a Tuesday afternoon in May when Darius Bazley had just finished impressing a gym full of NBA executives. When he finished flushing dunks and showing off his left-handed dribbling, the 19-year-old provided a bit of foreshadowing.
Bazley hadn’t played a competitive game in more than a year, a product of his decision to intern at New Balance, forego college and train in preparation for the 2019 NBA Draft. Yet, as Bazley talked to reporters at Klutch Sports Pro Day in Los Angeles, he insisted that his game wouldn’t suffer after the long layoff.
"Yeah, I was away from the game for a year — away from the game as in playing — but when it comes to my feel for the game, I’ve always had that," Bazley said at the Pro Day in May.