Aleksej Pokusevski Showing Signs of Progress in Preseason

Prior to the 2020 NBA Draft, Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski was viewed as a seven-foot project. He had shown glimpses of slashing, shooting, and playmaking ability not often seen in basketball players his size.

He had played in the Greek A2 Basket League and averaged just 10 points and seven rebounds in about 22 minutes on poor efficiency. The defensive statistics were promising, however, as Pokusevski racked up two steals and almost three blocks per 36 minutes.

Pokusevski’s play overseas eventually led to the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting him with the 17th pick via the Minnesota Timberwolves. The franchise passed on other enticing prospects such as Tyrese Maxey, Precious Achiuwa, and Jaden McDaniels to do so.

Throughout his first couple of seasons with the Thunder, Pokusevski struggled to adjust to a higher level of competition. The game just seemed a little too fast and a little too big for the skinny forward. It didn’t help that he shot the ball poorly, either.

At 18 and 19 years old, Pokusevski scored a measly 12.9 points, grabbed 8.9 boards, dished out 3.5 assists, and recorded about one block and one steal per 36 minutes in his first two seasons combined.

His inability to stretch the floor didn’t help matters, either. Pokusevski shot just 28.5% on more than 400 3-point attempts across his freshman and sophomore campaigns. His form looked wonky and watching him take jump shots felt like a wasted possession.

Now in his third season with the Thunder, Pokusevski is finally showing signs of becoming a respectable NBA player. On the floor, he looks poised, relaxed, and generally more comfortable than he did a year ago.

Throughout Pokusevski’s three preseason games, a pattern has emerged. He’s taking good shots, making better decisions, and forcing less. There seems to be more of a focus on playmaking, too.

OKAY POKU! 👀

He lobs it up to Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for the slam.

(live on NBA League Pass) pic.twitter.com/Zp3gjjmEE9
— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2022

Not only does it look like his game has taken a step forward, but it also looks like his body has too. The slender seven-footer weighed in at 210 pounds at training camp which is 15 pounds heavier than he was as a rookie. Head Coach Mark Daigneault even made a comment about Pokusevski being more durable.

The Thunder’s head coach also recently praised the 21-year-old a few days ago, saying, “If a spaceship came down and dropped him here, and we had never seen him before, we'd be like, ‘Man, this guy's a really good player.’”

And statistics back this up. Pokusevski has knocked down 7 of his 17 shots this preseason and hit 40% of his 10 threes attempted. He’s also recorded eight assists, four blocks, and a steal.

To put those numbers into perspective, Pokusevski is averaging about 12.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.4 blocks per 36 minutes right now. He’s also shooting 41.1% from the field, 40% from deep, and 75% from the free throw line.

While that’s a small sample size, it’s encouraging to see the young Thunder forward showing more efficiency from beyond the arc, racking up more assists, and blocking more shots relative to last year this early in the season.

If Pokusevski can continue his progress into the regular season and really step into the role of a connector for this rebuilding team, it is going to be hard for the Thunder coaching staff to keep him off the floor. But he will need to continue to show progress in regard to his ability to space the floor, handle the ball, and play consistent defense.

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