The basketball card industry has seen a massive explosion in interest within the past year. With higher demand comes higher card values as well. From Luka Doncic to Tacko Fall, virtually every rookie card has seen a significant jump in value. But of course, some cards may rise more than others. If you're looking for the next under-the-radar name to target, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley has to be on your shortlist.

The OKC sophomore has all the tools and the right environment to pop off in the next couple of seasons. His Panini Prizm Silver card with a PSA 10 grade has been already been going for around $500 dollars. But if Bazley can take the leap this coming season, there's no reason to think the price won't be going anywhere but up.

Here are three (3) reasons why Darius Bazley should be your next player to collect:

Bazley's Sky-High Potential

Darius Bazley, Thunder
CP

Bazley might actually be better known around basketball circles for something he did off the court. As a highly-rated high school prospect, Bazley opted to forego his initial commitment to play for basketball powerhouse Syracuse, instead taking a $1 million internship with New Balance.

Make no mistake about it though, Baze can definitely ball. He wasn't able to showcase this right away during the start of the season, when he averaged just 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.2 minutes of game action prior to the All-Star break. With OKC suddenly in the thick of the playoff race, there wasn't as much incentive to let Bazley operate on a learning curve quite yet.

But clearly the then-rookie worked hard on his game following suspension of play in March. In 8 bubble games, Darius Bazley's numbers sky-rocketed as he looked far more comfortable playing at an NBA level. He came out and averaged 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27.5 minutes for OKC. He even matched an OKC record held by franchise favorite Russell Westbrook, becoming the only Thunder rookie besides Russ to eclipse the 20-point plateau in three consecutive games. But even beyond the numbers, you could just tell his game had matured by leaps and bounds.

A lot of card collectors hinge their card investment on one key principle: potential. It's the reason why Michael Porter Jr. rookie cards nearly eclipsed Nikola Jokic's in value when the youngster was blowing up during the NBA bubble. A prospect yet to reach his ceiling is often much sexier than one who might already be a known quantity.

Lucky for OKC fans and Bazley collectors alike, Darius Bazley absolutely oozes potential. He's a 6'9 forward who can handle the ball and make plays off the dribble. His length and size makes him a defensive dream, especially in today's positionless style of basketball. His offensive game still has a long way to go, but one encouraging sign was the fact that his three point jumper is starting to come around.

During his 8 bubble games, Bazley went 19 of 41 from downtown which comes out to 2.4 made threes on 5.1 attempts on an insane 46.3% clip. He's shown a penchant for making a step-back three as well, which could really open up his game once he becomes more confident driving to the basket.

Most importantly, Darius Bazley enters the 2020-2021 season as a 20-year old. He's shown a lot of improvement within the season while still being younger than a handful of rookies from the 2020 Draft. The young man's best days are clearly ahead of him.

OKC's Youth Movement

Darius Bazley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Sam Presti Thunder

Aside from potential, another aspect card investors could look for would be opportunity. Other incoming second-year players like the Atlanta Hawks' Cam Reddish and New Orleans Pelicans' Nickeil Alexander-Walker both drip with potential just as Bazley does. But looking at their roster composition and team aspirations for the year, they both might struggle to find minutes on teams looking to make a playoff splash. The Hawks clearly have their sights set on a postseason appearance, signing wings such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, and Kris Dunn to an already crowded rotation. The Pelicans not only still have veterans Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball ahead of NAW, but they also drafted a rookie in Kira Lewis Jr. who may eat up some of his minutes as well.

Darius Bazley meanwhile is set to have all the playing time he can handle, and maybe even some that he can't. Bazley averaged a shade over 18 minutes per game last season, good for 9th on the team. But with OKC's recent firesale, the team is losing their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th minutes leaders in Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams.

The players they received in return don't seem to figure into the future plans as much as Bazley does. Al Horford will come in to man the middle, while George Hill can figure in as the veteran guard playing alongside franchise cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But the forward slots are wide-open for Bazley to rack up minutes totals well into the 30s every night. The fact that the team traded away a still-young Kelly Oubre Jr. after acquiring him for CP3 give you a hint at how much the team believes in the young man.

On top of that, the Thunder's three rookies from the 2020 draft won't clash with him either. OKC brought in Serbian center prospect Aleksej Pokusevski with the 17th pick and French point guard Theo Maledon with the 34th pick. Their forward prospect in 37th pick Vit Krejci appears to be staying overseas for the time being.

The minutes will be there for DBaze, he just has to take advantage of them. OKC seems all-in on seeing what Darius Bazley can do, and so should you.

Setting Up For Success

Darius Bazley, Thunder

Regular season success is always important, but players make their mark in the league during the NBA playoffs. We just witnessed Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo go from low-key talents to highly-coveted prospects, especially when it comes to their rookie cards. Postseason success could often be just as important in cementing a player's stature in the NBA which will go hand-in-hand with how sought-after their cards are.

We've already established OKC's clear intentions to try and see if Bazley can live up to his massive potential, alongside a more established young star in SGA. But potential and regular season numbers can only get you so far. Putting up good stats won't exactly be enticing for card collectors on a team that won't even sniff the postseason anytime soon.

But OKC is perfectly placed to establish themselves as a playoff powerhouse in the coming seasons. This year admittedly might be a bit bumpy. They obviously lost their All-Star and leader in Chris Paul. Losing Schroder, Gallo, and Adams will cost them a handful of wins as well. The Thunder project to be a lottery team this year, barring another unexpected rise like last season. But even if they flounder this year, the moves made by Sam Presti set them up to get better the moment their young players are ready to make the jump.

The number of first round picks OKC seems to be growing by the minute. The team possesses basically all of the Houston Rockets' and Los Angeles Clippers' draft capital all the way until 2026. Not to mention the picks they've acquired from shipping out the veterans that have come and gone from their roster. This opens the door for potential win-now moves the moment they look ready to make them.

Darius Bazley finds himself on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that knows his potential and is willing to give him the opportunity to reach it. A Thunder squad with an already-rising star in SGA, a tremendous team culture, and all the assets to build a playoff contender for years to come.

If you're not looking to buy some Darius Bazley stock right now, someone else will in no time.