Darius Bazley #7 of the OKC Thunder smiles during the game against the New Zealand Breakers (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)

Will the OKC Thunder see star potential in rookie Darius Bazley during the 2019-20 season?

The OKC Thunder season gets underway on Wednesday, with the NBA regular season tipping off Tuesday (yes, for you concerned readers I did just purchase my annual league pass subscription thank you for worrying about this T.I. scribe) and so the one question for every player season rolls on with Darius Bazley next on the docket.

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As I am typing this article up there are only four more players to do! We have almost made it through the entire roster, including Sam Presti and Billy Donovan. Thank you all for reading each one of them. It has been a blast to write this series!

Now, it is time to discuss rookie Darius Bazley. When the OKC Thunder drafted the New Balance intern, it was met with a lot of “who?” from fans. A year in the New Balance offices, instead of on the hardwood of the Dean Dome, Cameron Indoor, or the Carrier Dome home of the Syracuse Orange where Bazley originally committed had him off a lot of fans radar.

While a quick look at his film from high school and the NBA scouting combine explains why he was such a coveted recruit. I actually think without his year off, he would be a fan favorite of a lot of college basketball fans.

Once you got past the initial shock factor of Sam Presti bringing in a relatively unheard of first-rounder, we witnessed growing excitement in the Thunder fanbase.

Now, the OKC Thunder are without the aforementioned Russell Westbrook and Paul George and instead are met with their first rebuild of the Oklahoma City era.

The question that looms ahead of his rookie campaign for Darius Bazley is can he show star potential?

What does that mean? No, it does not mean he needs to put on a display as Luka Doncic did a year ago in his freshman season, no it does not even mean he has to be Trae Young. He also doesn’t need to dethrone Zion as the lead for this year’s rookie of the year.

He simply needs to be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That sounds strange, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a point guard so what do they have in common? Well, SGA did not have a serious ROY campaign, and he did not even get the praise from casual observers that he should’ve in season.

So what did Shai do in his rookie season? He proved to be an NBA caliber starter (for a playoff team no less) and showed so much potential that true L.A. Clippers fans and media who follow the team closely were excited to acquire Paul George but at the same time almost equally as bummed to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a casualty in the trade.

Again, Darius Bazley does not need to be this outstanding jaw-dropping rookie, but can he at least show flashes of being a pillar for the franchise and a piece of their future once the team is ready to win again. Another example from a year ago is Jaren Jackson Jr. the Grizzlies prospect got some love from avid NBA fans, but casual fans do not realize how bright that Memphis future is with JJJ, Ja and Brandon Clarke leading the way.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can not do it alone, and while Terrance Ferguson is a nice piece, he is not a dynamic one that will help lead this team back to it’s winning ways, he will simply compliment it.

Will Bazley be a leader or a compliment?

What are your expectations for Darius Bazley this season? Let us know in the comment section below.