<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Thunder-Darius-Bazley-Russell-Westbrook-Wizards.jpeg"><figcaption>Bazley gave Westbrook some fits</figcaption></figure><h1>OKC’s Darius Bazley reacts to putting clamps on Thunder icon Russell Westbrook</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-20T08:15:51-07:00">April 20th, 8:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-20T08:15:51-07:00">April 20th, 8:15am</time><address><a>Julian Fadullon</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Don’t look now, folks, but the Washington Wizards might just make this year’s play-in tournament between the 7th-10th seeds. With <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/2021/4/19/22392981/washington-wizards-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-game-recap">Monday’s 119-107 win</a> over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Wizards are now owners of a five game win streak, and are tied with the Chicago Bulls for the Eastern Conference’s 10th seed with 14 games left in the regular season.</p><p>Rule of thumb: never count out a Russell Westbrook-led team.</p><p>Speaking of Westbrook, he and co-star Bradley Beal led the Wizards to the victory, with “Brodie” posting a triple-double (13 points, 17 assists, 11 rebounds) and Beal leading all scorers with 30 points. As for the Thunder, they continue to limp towards the finish line. With star and leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander presumably out for the remainder of the season, the rest of their games will be aimed towards developing their young talent. Which brings us to the man of the hour, Darius Bazley. Never heard of him? Well, he’s the gentleman who dropped 26 on the Wizards and held Westbrook (reasonably) in check:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Darius Bazley on guarding Russell Westbrook: "I don't think I did too bad, but we still lost. So I feel like I could've done something more."</p><p>Baze actually held Russ to his lowest point total and lowest FG% since the Wiz played the Knicks' #1 defense 14 games ago.</p><p>— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonRahbar/status/1384338987700015109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The lowest FG% since the Wizards faced the best defense in the league? Not bad for Bazley. He took the news like a veteran too. Most young players would have been excited at playing as well as he did against a former team legend, but Bazley took it on the chin. He knows what this Thunder team can do with the proper development, and it’s good to see a young player with his competitive fire. Well, if you’re not going to hype yourself up, Darius, let’s leave it to your head coach:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mark Daigneault on Darius Bazley: "He was awesome. He was big time. We get in at 3 o'clock in the morning last night. He played big minutes last night and we matched his minutes with Russell."</p><p>Baze scored a career high 26 and went 11-13 from the foul line.</p><p>— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonRahbar/status/1384336036180860932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Between Bazley, Lou Dort, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder really do have an intriguing trio of two-way playmakers on the perimeter. Throw in the skinny but talented big Alkesej Pokusevski (Poku if you want to fit in), and the Thunder have an interesting roster going into next season. Eventually their development will back up the talk, as all four have shown flashes of brilliance. For now, they will do what they can. Bazley’s ability to limit Westbrook is just the latest positive sign for the Thunder.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

OKC’s Darius Bazley reacts to putting clamps on Thunder icon Russell Westbrook

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/thunder-news-shai-gilegous-alexander-darius-bazleys-injury-status-gets-encouraging-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley’s injury status gets encouraging update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-13T15:12:43-08:00">March 13th, 3:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-13T15:12:43-08:00">March 13th, 3:12pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first loss in the second half of the season on Saturday, as they fell to the New York Knicks, 119-97. The shorthanded Thunder proved no match to a surging Knicks side, as OKC endured a blowout loss without a couple of their key players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Bazley.</p><p>After the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault provided an update on the status of both Gilgeous-Alexander and Bazley, and at this point, it appears that both players are nearing a return:</p><blockquote>“All I know is those injuries are not long term things,” Daigneault said, via <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonRahbar/status/1370851245800448019">Brandon Rabhar</a> of the Daily Thunder. “They’re closer to playing than they are to sitting out.”</blockquote><p>Unfortunately, Daigneault did not provide a firm timetable on the return of either player. OKC is set to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, but as it is, it seems that both SGA and Bazley are doubtful to suit up for that one.</p><p>SGA is currently dealing with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-out-knicks-with-quad-injury/">quad injury</a>, but he was able to take the floor for the Thunder on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. As for Bazley, the 20-year-old forward is currently nursing a shoulder problem and he has yet to suit up for OKC since the All-Star break.</p><p>At 16-22, the Thunder are currently four games outside the playoffs picture in the West. They will want to get back their key players — SGA in particular — as soon as possible as they enter a crucial juncture in the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley’s injury status gets encouraging update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-fired-up-after-Darius-Bazley_s-double-clutch-dunk-on-John-Collins.jpg"></figure><h1>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fired up after Darius Bazley’s double-clutch dunk on John Collins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T19:42:05-08:00">February 26th, 7:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T19:42:05-08:00">February 26th, 7:42pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder have been exciting to watch this season, which is surprising. Darius Bazley has become one of the most surprising developments in the NBA this season and made a highlight play on Friday night that got his teammates fired up.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://t.co/uRNyQOrXMh" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/uRNyQOrXMh</a></p><p>— 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙨 (@BoomtownHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoomtownHoops/status/1365499704356798466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bazley went up and hit the double-clutch dunk on John Collins, one of the better young players in the league, and got his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fired up on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>The Thunder spent the offseason trading basically everybody and accumulated a tremendous amount of picks and it seemed that this Oklahoma City<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder"> team</a> has surprised everybody’s expectations of them in the preseason.</p><p>Bazley finished the game with 18 points and 12 boards to continue his successful year. He is averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bazleda01.html">11.4 points with 7.3 rebounds</a> in his second year in the NBA and has watched all his numbers go up from last season.</p><p>The Thunder beat the Hawks 118-109 and made headlines by switching jerseys at the half after the Hawks wore red and the Thunder wore orange in a weird, terrible uniform mishap.</p><p>Nonetheless, the Thunder once again escaped with the win and Shai led the way with 24 points while six Thunder players finished in double figures.</p><p>John Collins paved the way for the Hawks as they lost again and the big man finished with 25 points and eight boards and the Hawks had six players score in double figures also.</p><p>Bazley and Alexander have been huge parts of the success of this Thunder team in what was meant to be a down year and they could, somehow, someway, find themselves fighting for a playoff spot come April.</p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fired up after Darius Bazley’s double-clutch dunk on John Collins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/image_2021-02-15_113032.png"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Darius Bazley puts Giannis Antetokounmpo on poster with monster slam</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-14T19:38:55-08:00">February 14th, 7:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-14T19:38:55-08:00">February 14th, 7:38pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley is not a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-darius-bazley-history-russell-westbrook-james-harden/">name you’ll often hear</a> in the highlights. But on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, Bazley spiked one over reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1361148579025473539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361148579025473539%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1007319action%3Dedit">Peep the clip</a> below to see Bazley’s nasty slam. Antetokounmpo tried his best to catch up and deny the dunk, but Bazley just had the step on him coming from the three-point line.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This’ll break the ice in OKC 🧊 <a href="https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@BazleyDarius</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThunderUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ThunderUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/DJyJr5E3sk" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/DJyJr5E3sk</a></p><p>— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1361148579025473539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Below is another angle of Bazley’s monster slam on the Greek Freak. Props to Giannis for the extra effort. But no one was taking that poster away from the Thunder sophomore.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Darius Bazley, my goodness. 😤 <a href="https://t.co/d7U35q26vY" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/d7U35q26vY</a></p><p>— 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙨 (@BoomtownHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoomtownHoops/status/1361148200028147712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Overall it was a good game for Bazley as he finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists. More importantly, they got the 114-109 victory over the Bucks. Justin Jackson led the team with 22 points while Al Horford had 20 points, and Luguentz Dort chipped in 19. The win snaps the Thunder’s three-game skid.</p><p>Antetokounmpo, for his part, had a game-high 24 points, to go along with 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Khris Middleton chipped in 23 points while Bobby Portis added 21. But those numbers weren’t enough to take the win in OKC. This marks the Bucks’ third consecutive loss after winning five straight games to start the month off.</p><p>The Thunder will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, before starting their three-game road trip on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Darius Bazley puts Giannis Antetokounmpo on poster with monster slam

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Darius-Bazley-Thunder-NBA-Cards.jpg"></figure><h1>3 reasons why Darius Bazley needs to be your next NBA rookie card investment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-12-12T09:05:33-08:00">December 12th, 9:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-12-12T10:35:09-08:00">December 12th, 10:35am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><b>Here are three (3) reasons why Darius Bazley should be your next player to collect:</b></p><h2><b>Bazley’s Sky-High Potential</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Rookie-Darius-Bazley-out-for-at-least-4-6-weeks-due-to-bone-bruise.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><p>Bazley might actually be better known around basketball circles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-darius-bazley-reveals-new-balance-internship-impacted-him/">for something he did off the court</a>. 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>But clearly the then-rookie worked hard on his game following suspension of play in March. In 8 bubble games, Darius Bazley’s <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629647/traditional/?Season=2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season">numbers sky-rocketed</a> 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 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-darius-bazley-history-russell-westbrook-james-harden/">matched an OKC record</a> 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.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>A lot of card collectors hinge their card investment on one key principle: <i><b>potential</b></i>. 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>During <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629647/traditional/?Season=2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season">his 8 bubble games</a>, 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.</p><p>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.</p><h2>OKC’s Youth Movement</h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/baze.jpg"></figure><p>Aside from potential, another aspect card investors could look for would be <i><b>opportunity</b></i>. 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.</p><p>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 <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/OKC/2020.html">losing their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th minutes leaders</a> in Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><h2>Setting Up For Success</h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/THUMBNAIL_066-4-1.jpg"></figure><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>The number of first round picks OKC <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/11/19/okc-thunder-17-first-round-picks-through-2026-breakdown">seems to be growing by the minute</a>. 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>If you’re not looking to buy some Darius Bazley stock right now, someone else will in no time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons why Darius Bazley needs to be your next NBA rookie card investment

Frank Mason III

Derrick White

Cameron Johnson

Robert Covington

Darius Bazley

Luc Mbah a Moute

Boban Marjanovic

Ignas Brazdeikis

Kevin Huerter

Harry Giles

Oklahoma City Thunder

Career

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1406449019929382912/

KD must’ve prayed during that timeout 🤣 Jesus guided that ball in the rim himself

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1405536162022789129/

Chick fil a needs to allow their workers to accept tips

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1386911780073521153/

You can tell the ones who want some attention so bad😂😭 BEAT IT

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1374479535349977089/

Anyone selling a dog? English bulldog to be exact

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1373778704871141377/

Let’s Goooooooo!!! My Orange man going crazy🔥🔥🍊🍊🍊🍊

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1371469834186227718/

Things ain’t been the same since they took that hour from me

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1369354063041634305/

Glad I got to play for coaches like @Coach_Swright @coachq7 @CoachKi in high school. Everything they preached to me carries over to the next level

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1366562609198223360/

It’s always good talking to people you haven’t spoken to in a while

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
13.7	7.2	1.8	0.5	0.5

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
13.7	7.2	1.8	0.5	0.5