News: Darius Bazley out 4-6 weeks with knee bruise

The Thunder announced today that rookie F Darius Bazley will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks with a right knee bruise he suffered in yesterday’s loss against the Celtics.

Bazley was seen hobbling after making a driving layup late in the first quarter but didn’t come out initially, waiving off coach Billy Donovan as a way to say he is okay. Eventually, after a couple more possessions, Bazley was subbed out and headed to the locker room. He would be ruled out for the rest of the game with a sprained knee.

Bazley has been a pleasant surprise this season, being a consistent part of the rotation and averaging 4.5 PPG in 17.2 MPG along with eight starts. Bazley is still super raw but has shown flashes this season of being a future good NBA player.

This is an unfortunate loss as the Thunder are weak with their wing depth. Look for guys like Hamidou Diallo and Abdel Nader to pick up some minutes in his absence.

Keep in mind that the 4-6 weeks is just a re-evaluation timeline so he could potentially miss more time. Look for an April return for the ex-New Balance intern, which would be just in time for the playoffs.