Aleksej Pokusevski's Progression Now on Display

Aleksej Pokusevski has had his fair share of struggles, but on a roster with little consistency outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Poku has been one of the few prospects on the roster to show real improvement this season.

The Serbian point-forward played a whopping 39 minutes in Oklahoma City’s overtime loss to Milwaukee and was a key reason the Thunder stayed close all game. Poku has had big games with OKC’s stars sidelined before, but this was the most meaningful set of minutes he’s ever played.

Pokusevski stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He was a force in transition and stepped up in a big way, knocking down 4-of-7 3-point attempts too.

Yes, Brook Lopez played bully ball inside. But for the majority of the evening, Pokusevski was Oklahoma City’s center on the floor, and still held the seasoned veteran to under 50% shooting. With Tre Mann’s hot hand, Mark Daigneault went small down the stretch forcing Poku to slide over to the center spot.

Pokusevski won’t be slotted in at the center spot for long, as the Thunder recently drafted Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 pick. Holmgren missing this season has opened up a world of playing time for someone like Pokusevski. He’s made the most of it so far, as his progression, and ability to play multiple positions on the floor could be an important factor for Oklahoma City moving forward.

His creativeness on the floor has been a big positive for the Thunder. He's looked like the "connector" he was advertised to be this offseason. His basketball I.Q. and feel for the game is unique, it carries a style unlike anyone else.

I'm mesmerized by this Poku's counter move after the fake DHO. His instincts for the game are astonishing. pic.twitter.com/qqLMVjbRlR
— Francesco Semprucci (@fra_sempru) November 10, 2022

After a fantastic game against the Magic last week, it's been a promising start to the season for one of the Thunder's original projects. Obviously, Pokusevski still has a ways to go. But all offseason, we talked about Thunder prospects stepping up and securing a spot in Oklahoma City's future plans. Right now, it looks like Poku took the challenge to heart.

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