Thunder End of Season Report Card: Aleksej Pokusevski

Aleksej Pokusevski showed flashes down the stretch during the 2020-21 season. In the final game of his rookie campaign, Poku netted 29 points, essentially winning the game for Oklahoma City. Because of his strong play, expectations were higher coming into this season.

Out of the gates, the young Serbian looked lost. During the first half of the season, his inconsistency and carelessness with the ball kept him off the floor.

Just like last season, a trip to the G League before the All Star break gave Poku a boost of confidence to his game. This time, though, the confidence was met with consistency, resulting in the best stretch of basketball of his young career.

Pokusevski finished the 2021-22 season averaging 7.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He trimmed down his turnovers to just 1.5 per night.

The biggest indication of Poku’s progression jump? He was a player Oklahoma City that was injured down the stretch after singlehandedly winning multiple games for the Thunder.

Overall Season Grade: B

It would be hard to give Poku anything higher than a B after the disastrous start to the season. Thunder fans were disappointed after the expectations were raised. However, thanks to his close to the season, he was able to even out the grade.

The split down the middle of the season was dramatic for the young Thunder prospect. Before the All Star break, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting just 38.6% from the floor. It seemed like a lost cause.

After the break, and his time in the G League, Pokusevski looked like a different player. After returning, he averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He bumped his splits up drastically to 43.3% from the floor and 31% from 3-point range.

His ability to be a primary ball handler was extremely impressive down the stretch. When hope was nearly lost, Poku forced his way back into OKC’s potential future plans.

Offensively

Pokusevski grew as a ball handler and became a more efficient shooter.

He was also providing efficient minutes while scoring. In last season’s scoring outburst against the Clippers, Poku still finished with seven turnovers. He was often a net negative no matter the points.

This season, he figured out how to have a real impact on the game even when the ball wasn’t in his hands. He got smarter as a player and as a slasher.

Defensively

While Poku struggles to guard bigger, stronger players, he found different ways to be a smart defender over the course of the season.

In the month of April, during his impressive closing stretch, Pokusevski averaged one block and one steal per game, both season high’s.

His steals typically came from being in the passing lane and using his long arms to intercept the ball. When he’s switched on to guards, he can sometimes make up for a slow first step by recovering for the block. The potential of being a good defender if his frame fills out is still there.

Poku’s end of the season efficiency will have Thunder fans wanting more in the 2022-23 season. A player like Pokusevski taking an unexpected leap for Oklahoma City could be just the surprise Sam Presti needs.

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