Aleksej Pokusevski, Other Thunder Players Add Weight Ahead of 2023-24 Season
The Oklahoma City Thunder released its 2023-24 training camp roster on Monday morning.
While the names on OKC's roster didn't give fans or media any new information, the training camp roster did provide insight as to some of the improvements the team made over the offseason, specifically in the weight room.
From last year's training camp roster to the updated version that was released on Monday, three of the Thunder's big men have gained 10 or more pounds over the offseason.
Second-year center Jaylin Williams went from 240 pounds in 2022-23 to 250 pounds ahead of the 2023-24 season. Going into his fourth season in the NBA, Aleksej Pokusevski also added 10 more pounds, moving from 210 to 220.
Since entering the NBA as a 19-year-old, Pokusevski has put on around 30 pounds.
Finally, rookie center Chet Holmgren added a team-high 13 pounds since the beginning of last season, jumping from 195 to 208. It is no surprise that the former No. 2 overall pick was able to spend plenty of time in the weight room, as he missed the entirety of what should have been Holmgren's rookie year due to a foot injury.
While he was recovering, Holmgren seemingly used the time he couldn't be on his feet to work on his strength.
While the Thunder's brand of "positionless basketball" may not confine players like Williams, Holmgren and Pokusevski to the paint, all three are still big men who need to be able to withstand the physicality that comes with playing down low.
Adding 10 pounds will certainly help all three players, especially Holmgren and Pokusevski, battle against some of the stronger big men they will have to square off against.
Rookie of the Year runner-up Jalen Williams also had a nice offseason, bulking up to nearly 220 pounds. The second-year player went from 211 pounds as a rookie to 218 pounds heading into 2023.
One of the only players on Oklahoma City's roster who cut weight was two-way sharpshooter Lindy Waters III. The OKC-metro product entered last season at 210 pounds but is listed at 198 pounds on the team's updated training camp roster.
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