Wiggins, Pokusevski Show Bright Potential in Their Performances Friday

Oklahoma City’s draft outlook keeps improving with each loss.

On Friday, the Thunder dropped their eighth-straight game in a 120-108 loss to Miami.

Oklahoma City again struggled from 3-point range leading to the loss, but it wasn’t all negative.

Here are the Thunder’s top performers.

Aaron Wiggins

Aaron Wiggins re-entered the OKC lineup after a bout with illness on Wednesday and remained in action on Friday — but had a much bigger impact.

After scoring just two points in his return Wednesday he tallied 17 points for OKC in 29 minutes. Wiggins scored the points while shooting 5-of-7 from the field.

On top of the points he added an assist and a rebound.

While he didn’t have a large statistical output other than his scoring Wiggins drew eyes away from other Thunder players and allowed OKC to space the floor more efficiently.

With the Thunder still debilitated with injuries Wiggins is a vital part of the rotation and success of the team.

Tre Mann

Tre Mann exploded in the second quarter for OKC. The rookie produced 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting and made four 3-point attempts in the stretch.

Outside of the quarter his effect couldn’t be seen as well on the stat sheet, but after a quarter of dominance defensive eyes were locked on him.

Mann played 28 minutes off of the bench in the game and scored 25 points and added eight rebounds.

While after the second quarter scoring faltered for the rookie, his rebounding was crucial and allowed OKC to remain competitive in the game.

Aleksej Pokusevski

Aleksej Pokusevski continues to show tremendous strides of improvement over the latter half of the season.

The 7-footer has been a consistent helper for the Thunder whether on the stat sheet or off. Friday was no different.

Pokusevski notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

While scoring didn’t explode, Pokusevski’s ability to live on the boards was crucial for Oklahoma City. Pokusevski’s 15 rebounds were a major factor in OKC winning the rebound margin 47-46, a minor victory in the big picture.

While OKC lost the game the performance of Pokusevski shows a bright spot inside the Thunder’s rotation as the season begins to coast to the end.

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