Kent Bazemore is searching for answers.
The Hawks small forward is clearly frustrated by his recent performances. Bazemore spent several minutes with his face buried in his hands following a loss to the Bucks on Saturday. He quickly dressed and exited the locker room after a loss to the Warriors on Monday.
The issue? On Feb. 7, Bazemore had 23 points and eight rebounds against the Magic. In the five games since, he has scored a total of 20 points. It’s worth considering whether Bazemore has hit a wall in his first year as a full-time starter in the NBA.
“I wouldn’t say a wall but it’s something that has to be figured out,” Paul Millsap said. “Only Baze can figure it out. I think we all go through it our first year as a starter. You have your ups and downs. But you have to realize you are a starter and you have the next game to come out and make up for it. You have your minutes. When you are coming off the bench, your minutes are limited and you are used sparingly, it’s tough. I think it’s a mentality. It’s something Baze has to figure out and I think he will.”
The 26-year-old Bazemore has appeared in 53 games, including 46 starts, this season after taking over the starting position at small forward. Having Bazemore in the wings, was one of the reasons the Hawks allowed his predecessor DeMarre Carroll to leave via free agency. Bazemore has averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals in 28.1 minutes. He has been a serious candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award for his contributions to the Hawks through the first half of the season.
Through his 53 games, Bazemore has played a career-high 1,491 minutes. He played 1,324 minutes in 75 games all of last season in his first year with the Hawks. In his first two NBA seasons with the Warriors and Lakers, he combined for 1,178 minutes.
For the early part of the season, Bazemore was a leader on the Hawks and ranked in the NBA in 3-point shooting. He is still shooting .377 from long range, fourth on the Hawks, despite making just 2 of 16 3-point attempts during his recent slump.
Bazemore said he stepped back on Sunday to reflect and focus on the state of his game and the direction of his career. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end the season.
“I’ve just got to focus more on the process than the destination,” Bazemore said. “For me, not looking at free agency or anything but looking at the type of player I want to be. I’m trying to focus on that.”
And what did the introspection reveal?
“When you tend to look at your destination, you have other things that come and frustrate you,” Bazemore said. “You’ve got things that make you focus on the past. You’ve got things that make you focus on the future. Instead of being in the moment, living in the moment now, and being thankful for what you have in front of you and the opportunity to play for a great franchise and play in front of people who love you. You have to count those blessings and put all your apples in a basket before you try to grow a harvest.”
It’s not just about offensive numbers for Bazemore. It is defense that got him on the court and will keep him there. That remains a priority. However, when Bazemore is a scoring threat it adds another dimension to the Hawks.
“Anytime you are doing something new for an entire season, I don’t think it’s so much of a wall, but there are probably going to be some steps forward and there may be an occasional step in the opposite direction,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s done so much, so well, and has made so much progress that I think he’ll continue to make those steps forward. It’s part of his growth, part of his progress.”
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