Aleksej Pousevski's Fast Start in Preseason is an Encouraging Sign
Oklahoma City’s entertainment value as a team seems to be on the rise.
After two preseason contests, the Thunder have been exciting and competitive without arguably its two best players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort. This team has much more depth from top to bottom than either of the past two seasons.
One of the reasons for the Thunder’s increased depth has been player development. Because of Oklahoma City’s long term plan, they’ve allowed prospects to play freely and develop. The best case study of this process yet to date, is Aleksej Pokusevski. The Thunder’s mystery player struggled mightily across his first two seasons in the NBA, but age-wise, he’s finally on par with the current rookie class.
His first two preseason games should be considered a win for the organization, as Pokusevski finally looks ready to play consistent basketball. His ceiling is still high, but if he can simply excel as a role player, it will make the Thunder better immediately.
So far, that’s exactly what Pokusevski has done. Wednesday night, he didn’t have a crazy stat line or any miraculous plays, but he didn’t need to. He looks much more comfortable taking what the defense gives him. He finished with eight points, two assists and two 3-pointers with a team high of plus-nine.
It’s clear how the organization feels about Pokusevski’s development, too. After preaching patience, and allowing the young wing to grow, he’s now started both preseason contests. This may change during the regular season, but it seems like he has a leg up on Darius Bazley to this point.
His play style, when at its best, is incredibly complimentary to Oklahoma City’s stars. He’s used as a connector on the floor and has elite vision and playmaking abilities. Those abilities have been hampered by poor decision making, but the progress is finally starting to shine through on the court.
Pokusevski could be used in unique ways as a cutter, 3-point shooter and an extra passer. He seems to always be in the right spot to swing the ball to the open man, and Oklahoma City could always use more ball movement.
It’s important not to overreact to these preseason games. But so far, so good for Pokusevski.
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