NBA Draft 2019: 5 Biggest reaches of the draft

#3 Darius Bazley (Princeton High School): drafted #23 by the Utah Jazz (traded to Oklahoma City Thunder via Memphis Grizzlies):

Darius Bazley skipped college and prepared on his own for the draft

Darius Bazley was one of the most intriguing prospects coming into the 2019 NBA draft. He skipped college, something players rarely do and trained with New Balance and on his own for the NBA draft.

Standing at 6 foot 9 inches, Bazley is a small forward who has a lot of unknowns to his game. He was projected to be a late first round or early second round pick but was drafted at #23 and traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bazley is a raw talent, someone who was not evaluated properly since he did not play in college. Thought to be a supremely versatile player, Bazley is a solid offensive player.

He has the handles to dribble past the opposition, great finisher at the rim, solid rebounder and his long body allows him to defend multiple positions in the modern NBA.

While his upside is high, Bazley took a lot of contested shots and his consistency was not great. His shot selection was poor and was an on and off player in the NBA draft combine.

His jumper is not the best and given that he skipped college basketball, he lacks feel and the competitive spirit that you end up earning through playing basketball on a higher level. The Thunder have taken a gamble on a player who they would look to develop into a solid player for them, who certainly has the upside.