The college route has long been considered the traditional route for making it to the NBA. After all, it is a big stage. Every scout is on the lookout for the next NBA talent. For most NBA aspirants, playing division one college ball is the next step to making it to the pros. High school standout Darius Bazley, however, has opted for something much closer — the G League.

Bazley, in fact, has been thinking about the G League for quite some time. He declined to sign with Syracuse but has recently sent out an explanation per The Players' Tribune, on why he did so:

“The NBA doesn’t start with college or even the G League. It’s a track most people get on well before then. The first step is recognizing you have game. From there it’s about doing everything you can to get exposure.”

He discovered that no other top high school recruit has considered going straight to the G League. For him, apart from financial reasons, the G League will hone his talents more than that of college ball. Like most, playing in the NBA is a lifelong dream. And to be as close to his as possible is his heart's concern:

“That’s one of the reasons going to the G League appeals to me more than playing overseas. In the G League every day, I’m going to be competing with and against NBA talent. I’m going to learn NBA schemes, adopt an NBA practice schedule and generally be in an environment where the main focus of everyone I’m around is competing at an NBA level.”