Darius Bazley discusses why he signed with the Brooklyn Nets
Darius Bazley signed with the Brooklyn Nets this offseason on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. However, Bazley’s path to get to where he is now is one that is more common nowadays, but at the time, seemed to draw national attention for how novel the idea was.
Bazley, like most kids that go on to have fruitful careers in professional basketball, was a five-star recruit along with being a McDonald’s All-American. That meant that he could have went to any school of his choosing before deciding to go to the NBA. Despite initially committing and signing to play at Syracuse, Bazley chose to spend his one year out of high school differently.
Bazley thought that he was going to prepare by way of the G League, but eventually took a different path than that by deciding to spend the year in an internship with New Balance. Months later, Bazley became the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies who subsequently traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
From there, Bazley, native of Boston, Massachusetts, had a solid four seasons in the league before becoming a free-agent this summer. While his standing within the NBA is undecided at this time, Brooklyn took a chance by signing the young man to be a part of something bigger than himself. On Thursday, Bazley was introduced by the team and he had some interesting things to say about why he came to Brooklyn as written by Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily:
Bazley on why he signed with the Nets
“The young core, with also a veteran presence as well…They looked like they had fun, they looked like they played hard and together. It was just something I wanted to be a part of.”
Bazley's thoughts on Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV
“I mean, Dennis and Lonnie, two really good players. Obviously, like you said, really athletic. I’m excited to get in and see everybody. I don’t know at what point we’ll all get together but just getting in the gym, work, play some…I’m definitely excited”
Bazley on what he brings to Brooklyn
“First and foremost, defensively: 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.”
Bazley on what his goal is for this upcoming season
“The main goal is to win, not for me to — I’m not going into the season like, ‘How can I insert my game?’…like these are all things that come with it, but it’s not my main focus.”
