Al Horford and Aleksej Pokusevski had excellent reactions to the Bazley dunk

A couple Oklahoma City Thunder newcomers are getting properly acquainted with what Darius Bazley can do when he goes up with the basketball.

In the second quarter of the final preseason game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Bazley got out in transition and threw down a dunk over a defender who was attempting to rotate over and get in front of him.

That defender didn’t impede Bazley’s progress at all. The second-year forward flew toward the hoop and slammed it home for two of his 10 points in the 105-103 Thunder loss.

Horford, who has seen his fair share of big dunks over his long career, experienced some second-hand pain.

Meanwhile, if Pokusevski has yet to be on the court during a big NBA dunk, he can now say he’s seen it with his own eyes.

The bench got up and erupted, but the rookie’s celebration on the left side of the screen really stands out.

Bazley is looking to take an expanded role as a second-year player. Viewed as one of the key pieces to a future competitive Thunder team, he is working on developing areas in which he needs skill beyond his athleticism.

Of course, that athleticism is still helpful, particularly when thundering down dunks.