31 July 2023
If there’s one thing new Nets forward Darius Bazley is going to do in Brooklyn — it’s play some defense.
Bazley, the versatile, prep-to-pro forward who signed a one-year deal with the Nets this offseason, says he’s excited to bring his game to New York.
“This is like the Mecca of basketball,” Bazley said in his introductory interview with reporters on Thursday. “So just playing in front of fans that appreciate the game, that love the game of basketball, love the sport.
“I think it’d be really fun.”
Bazley said he doesn’t have a relationship with Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn, but noted he worked out with Nets forward Cam Johnson this summer. He also says he has a relationship with both Mikal Bridges and Ben Simmons.
And for the 6-foot-8 forward who has played minutes at both the four and five in his four-year NBA career, defense will be the calling card that earns him regular minutes in head coach Jacque Vaughn’s rotation.
“Being able to match-up one through four, one through five, guard bigger wings, be able to guard smaller guards, as well — I’m looking forward to that,” he said on Thursday.
Out of high school, Bazley skipped college and opted to go for the G-League, then skipped the G-League to prepare for the NBA Draft. He went 23rd overall to the Utah Jazz in the 2019 NBA Draft but was later part of two draft-night trades — first to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Mike Conley deal, next to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for forward Brandon Clarke.
He averaged a career-high 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds during his second season in Oklahoma City. but the Thunder eventually opted to move on from the athletic forward, trading him to the Phoenix Suns after the Kevin Durant deal.
Bazley averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Thunder in the first half of the season and was not a regular member of Phoenix’s rotation after the trade.
He hopes to show more of his game now in Brooklyn, but says winning is priority No. 1.
“Offensively, just getting my athleticism into the game, being a knock-down shooter and just having fun playing. The main goal is to win, not for me to — I’m not going into the season [thinking] how can I insert my game?” he said. “These are all things that come with it, but it’s not my main focus. No matter what, though, defense for sure.”
And to win, Bazley believes the Nets need to play fast, which appears to be an area of emphasis for the front office given their offseason acquisitions.
Bazley is the third new free agent the Nets have welcomed after coming to terms with both Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV on one-year deals. Both Smith Jr. and Walker IV are known for bringing athleticism and scrappy defense to the backcourt.
They project to backup a starting lineup of Bridges, Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton. Simmons remains a wild card given his back injury history. As of Summer League, he had yet to return to playing five-on-five basketball.
“To me, personally, I think there’s some core things that should just happen no matter what throughout the course of the game to give yourself the best shot at winning,” Bazley said on Thursday’s call. “Us having the taste of youngness and also like that veteran presence with some older guys, just fast, playing hard. Defensively, playing hard, getting after it.”
Bazley projects to add depth to the Nets’ frontcourt. Nic Claxton played the lion’s share of the minutes at the five in Brooklyn, and third-year big man Day’Ron Sharpe’s minutes project to increase this season as the only true rebounding machine on the roster.
Bazley is a career 31% three-point shooter but shot 37.7% from downtown last season. He shot the three at a 40% clip during his first 36 games of the season for the Thunder. That percentage plummeted when he arrived in Phoenix, largely outside of the Suns’ rotation.
The Nets, however, may not ask Bazley to shoot many threes. His role will be playing lockdown defense and injecting energy and athleticism into his minutes on the floor. He joins a team that will enjoy its first full offseason after the pair of midseason blockbuster trades detonated Brooklyn’s championship hopes.
What’s left now is a young team re-tooling around its budding star, Bridges.
“The young core, with also a veteran presence as well. Just watching them a little bit in the playoffs. Also just throughout the course of the season. The new team that they had towards the end here, they looked like they had fun,” Bazley said. “They looked like they played hard and together. It was just something I wanted to be a part of.”
“When it all came down to it, Brooklyn was the place to be.”
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