Atlanta Hawks (23-22, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (27-18, fifth in the Western Conference) Bazley might not hit that 20-minute-per-night milestone, but he's excited for the opportunity to prove himself. Watch on ESPN+. "So we worked pretty hard to make sure that this was an actual thing. PG - OKC. An intern no more, Darius Bazley is ready for the NBA challenge. But at that range of the draft, to be able to get a player that has those ballhandling skills at 6-foot-9 is pretty unique.". PF - OKC. And high school senior MarJon Beauchamp has announced his intention to skip college next year and enter a 12-month training program to prepare for the 2021 draft. 24 for Pelicans in nod to Kobe, Rondo to make his Clippers debut against Lakers, Nets' Nash: 'High probability' KD back this week, Lakers' Gasol frustrated: Feel like I'm 'Plan C, D', USA Basketball picks Hill to replace Colangelo, 'OK, maybe I'm not done yet': How Nic Batum fought his NBA mortality, NBA experts debate: Finals predictions and best play-in matchups, The key NBA standings races to watch in the final weeks of the season, The revolutionary path of Atlanta Hawks CMO Melissa Proctor, Here's how the trade deadline shook up our NBA Power Rankings, New NBA playoff projections: Likely winners in seeding, play-in races, decided to forgo a scholarship at Syracuse, signed an endorsement deal with New Balance, Russ-to-Rockets official; Presti gives fond farewell. But with New Balance, Bazley wasn't just learning, he was teaching as well, giving New Balance's product team insight into what young players want. "I do.". 4 AST 4 TO 28 MIN. You got to learn to communicate with different people.". It's a job that has already seen its description change, thanks to Oklahoma City's offseason trades of Paul George and Russell Westbrook. "His ability to handle the ball at his size is really, really unique, and defensively he's got great range for a young player at that size, as well," Thunder GM Sam Presti said. Gilgeous-Alexander has 33, helps Thunder rally past Spurs — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied in the second half to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-102 on Thursday night and snap a two-game losing streak. As Bazley begins to adjust to the NBA game, he does so with no regrets on how he got there. "We found not only a great partner in Darius and someone who wanted to treat this very seriously and do this for real," said Patrick Cassidy, New Balance's global director of consumer marketing. Bazley isn't the first player in the one-and-done era to bypass the traditional college route before entering the NBA. While Bazley won't have the opportunity to learn from George, his relationship with his own agent, Rich Paul, gave him access to one of the most sought-after mentors in the NBA: LeBron James. "For those chosen few that decide to take another route, there's an alternate route, but the steps are very, very strategic and you have to embrace the process," he said. Theo Maledon T. Maledon. It's almost always the first thing anyone wants to ask the rookie. "It's going to be a process with him. "There's going to be times where you hit a roadblock in the league where you're not getting the minutes you wanted or say you're injured and you're not able to play and you don't know how to handle that," he said. Porzingis helps Doncic-less Mavs to 87-78 win over Thunder — Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and 13 rebounds with European sidekick Luka Doncic sidelined by a back issue going into his second All-Star appearance, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 87-78 on Wednesday night. You can just sit down and listen. "It's more like -- we're at Top Golf or something and we're just having a good time stuff like that," Bazley said. If you listen more than you speak, you'll learn a lot. While his path took him away from organized basketball for a year, it also gave him an early start on the off-court transition to being a professional. "It can't be about anything besides, 'I'm willing to do the work and position myself to take on the challenge that I have ahead.' SG - HOU. Having not played in a formal setting since the 2018 McDonald's All-American Game, Bazley looked rusty in his Thunder debut, going scoreless and attempting just two shots. Throughout his year away from organized basketball, Bazley had multiple conversations with James, though the topic rarely focused on basketball itself. Learn about Darius Bazley and other recruit player profiles on RecruitingNation.com. NBA News. ESPN. Just like it was for Bazley, it has to be with a bigger goal in mind. Bazley has been out since early March, and he's not ready to make a return from a bruised left shoulder. The last rookie to be a regular part of the Thunder rotation was Domantas Sabonis, who started 66 games for OKC in 2016-17. News: 2 days agoBazley (shoulder) is listed as out for Friday's game against Phoenix. And to Darius' credit, he went all in on it.". Theo Maledon T. Maledon. It was a little more than a year ago when Bazley decided to forgo a scholarship at Syracuse for a potential path to the NBA via the G League. But Rich Paul said players looking to take this path can't be doing it solely for the money. But for Bazley, the internship went far beyond just basketball and shoes. In June of 2018, Bazley was slotted as the 18th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.Following a full year of college basketball, and all the attention that surrounds March Madness, Bazley–the 6-9 forward from Cincinnati, Ohio–seems to have fallen off the radar to a large extent. 8 AST 3 TO 31 MIN. It's unclear when the 20-year-old will be available to return to the lineup. PG - OKC. 12 REB 12 DREB 0 OREB. scores. After his brief flirtation with joining the G League, Bazley signed an endorsement deal with New Balance that included a one-year internship with the Boston-based sneaker company. 12 REB 10 DREB 2 OREB. An intern no more, Darius Bazley is ready for the NBA challenge, Hornets' Hayward (foot) out at least four weeks, IT to wear No. Thunder dominate second half and beat Magic 108-99 — Darius Bazley had a season-high 19 points, George Hill scored 13 of his 18 points in the third quarter and Oklahoma City beat Orlando 108-99 … While some endorsers get a taste of that with their sneaker companies, Bazley got far more up-close experience, not just getting a tour on a quick visit, but having the opportunity to spend days sitting in meetings, doing product testing and contributing in meaningful ways beyond just picking a sneaker he liked. Recibe noticias, estadísticas, videos, resúmenes y más sobre Oklahoma City Thunder ala pivot Darius Bazley en ESPN. Darius Denayr Bazley (nascido em 12 de junho de 2000) é um americano jogador de basquete profissional do Oklahoma City Thunder da National Basketball Association (NBA). In true 21st century NBA fashion, Bazley also got to learn about building a personal brand from New Balance's digital and social teams, even using his Instagram account to provide insight into what his internship was like. Recibe noticias, estadísticas, videos, resúmenes y más sobre Oklahoma City Thunder ala pivot Darius Bazley en ESPN. He had a direct hand in designing the player exclusive colorways he'll be wearing this season, coming up with the "Fresh Prince"-inspired colorway that he wore at the draft combine. You have reached ESPN's Australian ... Darius Bazley D. Bazley. He's younger than most in his grade and just now starting to hit his stride. Episode 2! Lillard scores 31 as Trail Blazers top Thunder 115-104 — Damian Lillard scored 12 of his 31 points in the final 4:11 to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-104 on Tuesday night. ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin and Royce Young contributed to this story. Darius Bazley D. Bazley. And someone would pop up and say, 'Well, how was it, just sitting out?'". You have reached ... Darius Bazley D. Bazley. Orlando visits Los Angeles on 6-game road skid. Assists. Eric Gordon E. Gordon. Trae Young T. Young. He learned much-needed skills like money management and communication, and said he feels better prepared for the adversity that every NBA rookie faces. C - DAL. Because of the Thunder's roster turnover, Bazley has a unique opportunity to contribute in OKC as a rookie. He spent time working directly with multiple divisions at New Balance, ranging from marketing to apparel to product testing. Lawrence was really cool and so was being hooked in the sports lab! Last season, the Thunder's four rookies combined to play just 769 minutes, ranking 19th in the NBA. We'll have to be patient. Bazley flies for impressive two-handed slam. 10 REB 9 DREB 1 OREB. Bazley was able to show off some of those skills in Las Vegas, but the initial steps of his transition to the NBA game were not without difficulties. SneakerCenter explores sneaker culture across sports and entertainment, as told by the athletes, artists, enthusiasts and brands who power the movement. Darius Denayr Bazley (born June 12, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Latest on Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Darius Bazley including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN scores. "That was my first job ever so having to go into work and being in an office space with a lot of middle-aged people -- you got to learn to be professional. It's almost always the first thing anyone wants to ask the rookie. And with my situation, I was lucky enough to be around greatness every day.". Orlando Magic (15-30, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (29-17, fourth in the Western Conference) Jokic and the Nuggets take on the Hawks. Kristaps Porzingis K. Porzingis. Strengths: Bazley is a late blooming lefty forward with good length (6-foot-11 wingspan) and athleticism. Follow full coverage of Darius Bazley during the 2019 NBA Draft on ESPN.com He also designed an exclusive edition of the New Balance 997 and helped pick out the additional items that were in the seeding kit sent to members of the media. Assists. The Thunder are hoping some of that greatness will rub off on Bazley as he joins a suddenly rebuilding team led -- for the time being -- by another member of James' inner circle, Chris Paul. To this story, 2019 at 1:28pm PST so was being hooked in NBA. `` so we worked pretty hard to make a return from a bruised left shoulder different people ``. 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