Thunder rookie Darius Bazley wrapped his arms around Nerlens Noel at the end of the handshake line, after OKC’s Blue and White Scrimmage on Sunday.
No matter that they were on opposing teams. Bazley leaned his weight against Noel, as the 25-year old center smiled and tried to shrug the teenager off.
The most promising aspect of Bazley’s eight-point, seven-rebound performance in Sunday’s three-period scrimmage was how comfortable he seemed with his new teammates and how confidently he played. With Bazley playing alongside mostly veterans on the White team, they beat the Blue team 76-60.
“If I mess up — if I do miss a pass, or turn it over, or if I’m in the wrong spot — those guys are there to tell me, ‘It’s OK.