Even with all of his vertical skills, Kent Bazemore rarely takes linear routes. The fact that his role with the Hawks is increasing is not likely to prompt shortcuts.
With injuries to starting small forward DeMarre Carroll and chief backup Thabo Sefolosha, Bazemore scored 12 points in 39:55 off the bench in Friday’s win over the Trailblazers. For the first time since coming to Atlanta last offseason, he moved into the starting lineup Saturday against the 76ers.
That did not go as well. He scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting. But Bazemore’s not going to change as he is expected to be back on the floor when the Hawks face the Pelicans in New Orleans Monday night.
“It’s different physically,” he said of starting. “You have to find ways when you’re fatigued and your shot is not falling to help. … I only have one gear, I think, and if I’m out there trying to pace, I’m not going to be as aggressive as I can be.”
He excelled in the summer of 2012 at the Portsmouth Invitational for NBA candidates and the 6-foot-5, 201-pound guard/forward from Old Dominion heard from the Hawks after he went undrafted. They ended up bidding against Golden State for him and lost.
“We started tracking Ken back at Portsmouth and through the summer. He went to Golden State and we followed closely,” Hawks assistant general manager Wes Wilcox said. “He didn’t play much, but he played in the playoffs and defended well. He had a very successful summer league and a couple good stints in the D-League. Then, he got a run with the Lakers [after being traded in the middle of last season].
“Whenever a player shows success over a sustained period in [multiple] elements, that’s a good indicator. Plus, his background checked out … character, personality. We spend a great deal of time trying to identify character traits: grit, resilience, work rate, basketball intelligence, the desperation to be great …”
Bazemore has a more mixed memory of that playoff stint.
“In the first round against San Antonio, in Game 1, [Warriors guard] Klay Thompson was in foul trouble so I go in and guard Boris Diaw. They run a high pick-and-roll with him and Tony Parker,” he said. “I get a stop and make a layup with three seconds left to go up one.
“Then, [Manu] Ginobili drains this 3-pointer right in my face … so that was a very big scenario in my career. It helped me with getting my name out there, though.”
After joining the Lakers, Bazemore went off.
He played in 23 game and averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and shot 45.1 percent. He was good on 37.1 percent of his 3-pointers. And he defended.
“LA worked wonders for me,” he said. “I played so many minutes, actually got in the game flow, found out what it was like to guard the best player.”
After the Hawks out-bid others with a two-year, $4 million contract last summer, Bazemore had to not only get healthy, but tweak his game. He tore a tendon in a foot last season and had surgery over the summer. He has tried to change the ways he runs and jumps.
“[Hawks assistant] Ben Sullivan is my shooting coach. He’s helped a lot,” Bazemore said. “I was shooting off my inside two fingers.”
Sullivan said: “He had mechanical issues … it wouldn’t be the same shot every time. We tried to make sure he would have a motion that was repeatable. He’s put in a lot of work.”
This is nothing new for Bazemore, who is averaging 3.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and shooting 42.2 percent, including a 38.6 mark from beyond the 3-point line.
Despite growing up in Kenland, N.C., he was not recruited by Duke, North Carolina or any of college basketball’s big dogs.
“I was a huge N.C. State fan growing up … I wanted to go there like crazy and they never offered me,” he said. “I was a late bloomer. I redshirted [at ODU] and I didn’t score in practice until like February.
“I just always prided myself on working and told myself, ‘You have a chance, you have a chance.’ I just kept believing.”
