Aleksej Pokusevski: Most to Prove in Upcoming Season
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After being selected No. 17 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, the expectation for Aleksej Pokusevski has always been that he would take time to develop. With that in mind, he’s gotten plenty of opportunity over his first two season and is entering a pivotal year for his future with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In fact, Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire recently tabbed Pokusevski as one of the players with the most to prove this season in his draft class.
While the 7-footer has shown flashes of great things over the past two years, he isn’t yet consistent enough. The lows with Pokusevski tend to outweigh the positives.
Last season, he averaged 7.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 28.9% from deep. The perimeter shooting has to get better, as that was a focal point of his potential NBA ceiling.
Additionally, the defensive upside was something teams around the league liked about Pokusevski in the pre-draft process. To this point, he’s been pretty solid on that end but has also proven to be somewhat undisciplined.
This might be somewhat unfair criticism for a prospect that’s just 20 years old, but at the rate Oklahoma City is bringing in young talent the clock is ticking. This time next year, difficult roster decisions will once again have to be made. If Pokusevski wants to remain part of the Thunder’s long-term plans it starts this season.
Really for him, it’s about being consistent and impacting winning. He doesn’t need to produce crazy numbers, but rather use his unique skillset to help the team.
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