Is Darius Bazley’s Decision A Basketball Game-Changer?

I think Darius Bazley’s decision will revolutionize the way we think about NBA prospects.

One headline that went under the radar recently should have been on the radar instead. It’s the decision Darius Bazley made about his basketball future. Bazley, a 5-star recruit at Princeton (OH) High School, de-committed from a scholarship to Syracuse and decided to head to the NBA G-League.

The decision brought positive and negative reviews. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, “I hope he does great, but I don’t think it’s the way it will be.” But others see it differently. Bazley will earn a living–$75k–in his first year as a G League player.

But Bazley’s move is more than a personal decision. It raises questions about the NBA’s One-and-Done rule. That rule, created in 2005, states that a player must wait one full year out of high school until declaring for the NBA Draft. It’s the reason why we see so many college freshmen declaring for the NBA Draft. And it’s why at least one school–Kentucky–has restructured its recruiting system to align with the One-and-Done rule.

Courtsey: Cincinnati Enquirer

Up to this point, players have had to respond to rules made for them by the NBA and the NCAA. But with One-and-Done seen as a constraint and a number of prominent schools under NCAA and FBI investigation, young players are looking for alternative pathways. Those include playing overseas for a year, training for a year before declaring for the Draft, and doing what Bazely just decided.

At issue is whether player moves will stimulate the NCAA and/or NBA to change. NCAA president, Mark Emmert, told The Sporting News recently that “there needs to be the ability for a young person and his family to say, you know, what I really want to do is just become a professional ballplayer.” But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver isn’t so sure. “In terms of the NBA, we’re conflicted, to be honest,” Silver concluded. But Silver has gone on the record saying “the NBA should integrate more with the G League in order to make more and established second options for prospects who graduated from high school.”

This is great news because G League waters haven’t been fully tested.

Bazley’s decision to go directly to the G League might open the doors for a G League Draft. If that were to happen, then the NBA would essentially solve its One-and-Done problem because players would enter the G League instead of having to wait one year in college. And such a move would also help the NCAA because schools could concentrate on recruiting players who want to be in college for longer than one year. Theoretically, at least, that could result in the “good old days of college basketball” when programs battled it out with players who commit to college ball for at least three seasons.

All in all, I think Darius Bazley’s decision will revolutionize the way we think about NBA prospects.