Darius Bazley's Decision To Skip The G League Will Be The Most Important Draft Decision This Year

[ESPN] - After Bazley decided last spring to skip college basketball and play in the G League this season, there were heightened stakes for him at this event and not many positives to take away from his performance. There is speculation among NBA scouts that this might have been the last competitive action they will see from Bazley until the NBA pre-draft process next spring — or even the 2019 summer league. If he doesn’t feel ready for the G League, he could reconsider his decision and forgo competitive basketball for the year, similar to Mitchell Robinson last season. Either way, it’s a situation with widespread implications beyond Bazley, and an important one to watch.

We know all the story of Darius Bazley by now and his decision to skip Syracuse and go direct to the G League. However, we’re now hearing that he may be skipping the G League and not play any basketball until the 2019 Draft. It’s a bit confusing as to why he would do that, unless he’s getting some bad information now.

Some of the reasoning to Bazley skipping the G League is the fear of getting pushed around by grown men and not looking the part, eventually falling in the draft. If that’s the case, why skip Syracuse? Bazley would have been a prominent part in Syracuse’s offense this year, so it’s not like he wouldn’t be noticed.

So why is this the most important decision of the draft? Simply put, we haven’t seen anyone skip college for the G League. We’ve seen someone skip college and sit out for the year and go to the Draft – Mitchell Robinson did it just last year. However, Bazley’s decision to play in the G League could play a major role going forward.

Bazley was an All-American and top-20 recruit. With everything going on in the recruiting world and the one-and-done likely not ending until 2021 or so, the G League was a viable option for a quick check and to play against pros. If Bazley plays in the G Leauge and plays well, we could possibly see more guys going this option – though I do think it is a long shot. If he plays and struggles, will it deter more guys? Most likely. But, with the G League consistently getting better, it’s worth keeping an eye on.