NBA Injury Updates: OKC Thunder's Darius Bazley to spend lengthy time on the sidelines
During the Oklahoma City Thunder's matchup against Boston Celtics last night, rookie forward Darius Bazley was seen clutching his right leg following a driving layup he made in the second quarter of the game.
Bazley headed to the locker room after the incident and didn't return for the remainder of the game which the Celtics eventually won by a solitary point. It has now been reported by Royce Young of ESPN that Bazley has a right knee bone bruise and that he's set for a lengthy chunk of time on the sidelines.
Quality minutes off the bench
Bazley was selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and has been playing a little over 17 minutes per game for the Thunder so far this season. While his stats aren't the greatest going forward, Bazley is an important defensive presence for OKC off the bench. Not only does he clog up the paint, his wingspan and athleticism also make him a good rim protector.
One for the future, the 19-year-old will certainly leave a hole in the Thunder rotation and head coach Billy Donovan will most likely turn to Mike Muscala and Deonte Burton to fill up those minutes.