College: N/A
Age: 19
Height/ Weight: 6’9″, 196 lbs.
Strengths:
Darius Bazley is an athletic combo forward with impressive lateral quickness and could be one of the biggest steals for a team in the middle of the draft right now. Bazley is a two way player that will have a lengthy NBA career. He has skilled footwork and has an array of moves he can pull out.
His ball handling for his size is one of his unicorn-esque qualities. He is able to create his own shot and use his ball handling to also create for his teammates. His leaping ability is another impressive quality he possesses as well, as he will block your shot on one end with his talented two-way ability and finish an alley \-oop in the same possession on the other end.
His motor is solid and he continuously finds a way to make an impact with or without the ball in his hands and that’s why his career can be so lengthy in the NBA. As Bazley comes into his own and continues to get stronger, his play along in the post will be one of his highest qualities as his career progresses. His playmaking ability is an underrated quality that he has.
Weaknesses:
As a defensive player, he must become more than one dimensional. He has the potential to become a better defensive player mentally. He tends to be foul prone when he is too tired and can get beat easily if he falls asleep on defense. He has elite athletic ability, but he must not depend on his athletic ability to help him on defense if he plans to play a long career.
Bazley is a go to scorer and has the potential as one of the best scorers in the draft, however, his release is troubling at times. It is slow and it can be affected by lengthy players defensively. He must develop a hyper extensive offensive game to become a solid player offensively. Bazley is a good ball handler, but at times he can do too much and become turnover prone as well.
He has to learn not to do too much. Darius Bazley must understand that his offensive opportunities have to come to him, he cannot always force the issue.
Future Outlook:
Darius Bayley is a solid athletic forward who will be a first round pick in Thursday’s draft. Bazley has an elite offensive skill set, but for him to maximize his full potential he must learn how to depend on skill and not always his athleticism.
