It wasn’t until the end of his second season in the NBA, the one that was chopped up by the COVID-19 pandemic, that Keita Bates-Diop truly understood what it took to stick around. The 2018 Big Ten player of the year, Bates-Diop was Minnesota’s second-round selection after four years at Ohio State and would sign a two-year guaranteed contract with an option for a third. He played in 30 games as a rookie and 37 the following year before being shipped to Denver as part of a massive, four-team deal. It was there with the Nuggets that Bates-Diop, who played in seven regular-season games in 2019-20, saw what it looks like when NBA players fully accept their roles – and those lessons helped Denver reach the Western Conference finals before bowing out to eventual champions the Los Angeles Lakers. “There were the stars, but (other guys) filled roles and were…
Continue Reading: Seizing his role, Ohio State's Keita Bates-Diop relishing postseason chance with Spurs
