Kent Bazemore has shown himself to be a potent scorer with the ability to lock down his man when he feels like it. However, he will never be taken seriously by fans or opponents. Why?
He has a babyface.
Look how chubby his cheeks are! Isn’t he the cutest little Laker ever? I just want to pinch his cheeks and coo over how big he’s gotten. If I, a man of great size and power, am thrown into a hysteria by the pleasing roundness of Bazed God’s face, his opponents are almost certainly thinking, “This guy’s a wimp. If I take it to him too hard he’ll probably start crying.” Meanwhile, his teammates lament angrily, “Coach loves Baze just because he’s got a cute face, so he gets to shoot as much as he wants.”
If Bazemore wants to solidify his place in the NBA, he needs to hit the gym hard this off-season and drop some of that baby fat. Then he can come back looking gaunt and starving like Kevin Love did a few years ago. That’s a good look.