When General Manager, Sam Presti elected to trade down two spots in this summer’s draft to select Darius Bazley it surprised the fan base. In hindsight with both superstars traded away from the team in July, Bazley and every young player who’ll grace the Chesapeake hardcourt take a more vital role in this new iteration of the Thunder.
With the Thunder being competitive for so many years it meant many of the rookies were slowly transitioned into the lineup. Often the youngest players on the squad haven’t had the opportunity to develop as quickly as teams who are perennial lottery squads.