LOS ANGELES — Darius Bazley blazed his own path in the basketball world when the top-10 prospect in the 2018 high school class announced his decision in March to decommit from Syracuse and enter the NBA G League. Now, Bazley tells The Athletic that he has decided not to play in the G League and will instead use the year to train and prepare himself as a professional.

Bazley, 18, discussed his decision with those closest to him, including his representatives and his mother, Lynnita. The McDonald’s All-American has prioritized his own personal plan over the G League.

“Talking about it over with my group, we felt confidently that the G League wasn’t going to be needed and now I can use this time to work on my craft,” Bazley told The Athletic. “It’s mainly me talking to [agent] Rich [Paul], he knows so much, and whenever he speaks my ears perk up. When Miles [Bridges] was in Cleveland for his predraft workouts, whenever he got a chance to work out in front of NBA teams, I was working out in the gym, too. So that played a part in it, me playing well in those workouts for us to say there’s no upside in the G League. If you play well, it’s expected. If you don’t play well, you’re not NBA-ready. That’s what they’ll say. For me, working out and preparing is the best route.

“The G League is the only league where winning might not be everything. Development is the most important aspect, but guys are playing for the team and at the same time trying to play for themselves. That’s not the type of guy I am. For me in those settings to just get mine, I’ve never been brought up that way. I feel basketball is a team sport and everybody is supposed to eat. In the G League, that’s not the way it is. Everyone is trying to get an opportunity to go to the NBA.

“I take pride in my decision. There are no regrets at all. At the end of the day, people are going to do what they want to do. Whether it’s going to college, whether it’s skipping college to go to the NBA, whether it’s quitting basketball altogether — people will make their choices. This decision is what I wanted to do, and I embrace that. It’s my life, my decision, my path and my journey.”

Bazley has been part of five-on-five games consisting of NBA players at local gyms in L.A. this summer, and he explained his new decision while waiting his turn to enter a recent run at Loyola Marymount University. He starred at Princeton High School in Cincinnati, committed to Syracuse and has been projected as a top-10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He wanted to become the first top prospect to forgo college and make the professional jump in the G League, but a closer inspection proved there are obstacles.

Bazley would have had to sign a G League contract and enter the draft in October because he has not been part of the NBA draft. He was expected to be the No. 1 pick in the G League draft, meaning he could fall into uncertainty by being selected to play for an organization that was the worst team a year ago. With the start of two-way contracts as well as affiliate, local tryout and domestic draft-and-stash players, the G League draft has appeared to lose some of its value. Robert Covington (2014), Jeff Ayres (2015) and Anthony Brown (2016) were the top picks in consecutive years before a center named Eric Stuteville became the No. 1 selection in 2017. The G League affiliates of the Utah Jazz (Salt Lake City, No. 1) and Charlotte Hornets (Greensboro, Nos. 2 and 3) have the top picks this year.

For Bazley, there is no control over his draft destination due to the process currently in place, and it ultimately prevented him from following through on the G League plan. Around the G League, there are several strong developmental programs, including Austin (San Antonio), South Bay (Lakers), Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder), Raptors 905 (Toronto) and Sioux Falls (Miami). Given the rules in place now, however, Bazley lacked the same freedom as most of the league’s other players to choose his situation.

“This shows the impact of the rules now that have taken away the flexibility for a five-star prospect to enter the league,” one NBA executive told The Athletic. “Each team in the G League is not the same in terms of resources and development.”

Darius Bazley puts on his shoes in the training room before the McDonald’s High School All American Powerade Jamfest in May. (Photo by Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

This past spring, Bazley participated in the three landmark high school showcases in the McDonald’s All-American game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit and spent time before the NBA draft around Bridges, the No. 12 overall pick by Charlotte. This summer, Bazley joined Team USA’s national World Cup qualifying team for workouts under Jeff Van Gundy and played in the Nike Skills Academy. At 6-foot-9, he has the ability to handle the ball, run coast-to-coast, rebound and make plays — all attributes that fascinate NBA executives — but acknowledges he must become more assertive on the floor.

“Training with professional players like Miles, seeing what hard work really is … man, I used to think that I work hard, but then coming out here, working out two-a-days and your body is aching and you have to keep grinding, keep going,” Bazley explained to The Athletic. “It’s been been an experience. It’s taken me a while to get used to it, but it’s fun to be put in environments with greatness. Whenever I stepped on the court with Miles in front of NBA scouts, I always tried to go hard, but I didn’t put myself through it. I saw how Miles went through it and saw the process.

“All the experiences, USA camp and Nike camp, all show me I have to continue to challenge myself and see where I’m at.”

Top prospects have gone down this route before, from then-Arizona commit Brandon Jennings choosing Italy in 2008; Emmanuel Mudiay playing in China instead of SMU in 2014; Dante Exum skipping going to college in the States and training in his native Australia for a full year ahead of the 2014 draft; Terrance Ferguson opting to turn professional in Australia rather than play for Arizona in 2016-17; and most recently, New York Knicks second-round pick Mitchell Robinson dropping out of Western Kentucky to spend the season training for the draft. The journey isn’t clear, nor is the success rate for a sustainable career as high as these prospects hope.

Now, Bazley has the ability to train as a pro during the basketball season, which will include daily workouts and living on his own with a chef. He also plans to attend college, after all: An L.A.-based university for business and financial management courses, allowing him to receive an early education into the areas he’ll need moving forward. He’s also expected to discuss shoe endorsement deals with interested companies in the coming weeks, sources said. It’s a new journey for each player, but not an easy one. Bazley is the smoothest player to make this transition, with no off-court issues derailing his path out of college.

Talent-wise, Bazley is still a potential top-10 prospect, but this year will challenge him both mentally and perceptually. As he works on his individual regimen, top collegiate players will have the platform of NCAA basketball. His range ultimately could be wide this upcoming pre-draft period, meaning a slate of workouts. Between now and then, a full year awaits of captivity in the gym, dedication to a routine and, as he says, “24/7 basketball.”

“I feel I’m very prepared,” Bazley told The Athletic. “I’m still learning, too. To say I got it all down pat right now isn’t the case, and there’s going to be ups and downs. It isn’t going to be a cupcake road and you just skip down … there’s going to be adversity. I knew that I would have to be level-headed and mentally tough to get through it. It’s like an academy because I’m learning something new every day. Everyone around me is greatness. People I play against, people I hear from. Everybody at my agency looks out, and they all want each other to be successful. I talk to KCP [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope]; he gives me advice.

“It can be very easy to veer off. I’m not in school, and I’m living at home, living downtown. It can be very easy to have a good time, hang out, but my maturity helps a lot. I have to work to get to where I want; all that hanging-out stuff can come later down the line.”

Bazley also wonders about the real impact of the NCAA’s new policies, announced on August 8th and deemed as underdeveloped by most around the NBA and college basketball. The new rules explain that collegiate players are able to hire an agent after each season; agents are able to pay for expenses depending on revisions to the Uniform Athlete Agents Act and state laws; and high school players can be represented by an agent beginning July 1st before their senior year, provided they have been identified as an elite senior prospect by USA Basketball and provided the NBA and NBPA agree to allow high schoolers to jump straight to the league. There are a lot of ifs, a lot of questions.

Would Bazley’s decision have been different if the NCAA had enacted these policies in March?

“I don’t know how I would have handled it if those rules were in place,” Bazley explained. “I still feel those rules are controlled. It’s still controlled, and a lot of people don’t understand it. People might think it’s cool when they hear it, that the NCAA is changing it up, now they think everything is changed. But things are controlled and it isn’t what it is. Who knows how my decision would’ve been.”

From Syracuse to the G League to now following his own straight-to-the-pros path, Bazley remains one of the top prospects in next year’s draft class. He’s a special test case in this ever-changing high school, college and pro basketball climate.

“When you look at Ben Simmons and he’s running point guard for his team, I believe you’re going to see more players like that,” Bazley told The Athletic. “Ben’s been put in the right position. So things like that boost me up and show me that there’s a place for me.

“I know I’ll have a role at the next level, a place to thrive.”

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(Top photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)