Oklahoma City Thunder’s Darius Bazley got a taste of positionless basketball as a rookie, defending his natural forward position at times and sliding up to play center at others.
He wants more this coming season.
“I’m going to ask for certain challenges … whether it’s bigger wings, even getting switched out onto guards, on-ball screens if I have to, guarding the post,” Bazley said.
Listed at 6-foot-8 with a wingspan around seven feet, Bazley has the length and athleticism to defend larger players and the agility that can allow him to match up smaller. He hopes to use this year to improve his defense against a variety of types of players.
“Whoever Coach asks me to guard, I want to be able to do that assignment,” Bazley said. “I have high expectations, especially on the defensive end, because I think it’s an effort thing.”
If Bazley can become a reliable and versatile defender, the Thunder would have a skilled duo between him and Dort. Oklahoma City is placing a premium on defensive growth, and general manager Sam Presti said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can “catapult” to new heights as a player if his defense improves.
Head coach Mark Daigneault was asked about Bazley’s offensive role, but there was a telling part to the coach’s answer that likely also applies to the other end of the floor for the second-year pro.
“We’re definitely not going to put constraints on him, a player with his skills, his eagerness to learn, his willingness to improve,” Daigneault said. “We’re gonna see kind of where his game takes him.”
In an era of positionless basketball, that could take him anywhere from the perimeter to the post.