The OKC Thunder kick off their 2020-21 season tonight against the Houston Rockets. During this matchup, there are 3 players we implore fans to watch closely.
The OKC Thunder may not be the most hyped-up team coming into 2020-21, but fans sure are excited to get another chance to watch them take to the hardwood once more.
After nearly a four-month-long hiatus, tonight Oklahoma City finds themselves squaring off against the team that sent them on said hiatus in the Houston Rockets.
This road tilt will mark the beginning of the Thunder’s tankathon, as they have officially went into rebuild mode this offseason after trading away the likes of Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and almost every other key piece from their postseason run last year.
However, though Sam Presti and co. somewhat purged the roster, this is not to say the team doesn’t have some talented ballers in tow that fans should be excited about.
Today, we here at TI present to you 3 players that should be monitored tonight during OKC’s season debut:
OKC Thunder player to monitor No. 1) Aleksej Pokusevski
The 2020 NBA Draft’s 17th overall pick, Aleksej Pokusevski, is coming into a great situation with the OKC Thunder.
With the ability to be both patient and hands-on with their young bucks, there is seemingly no pressure for the 18-year-old to produce right away. That said, it’s still going to be interesting to see how he fairs in his first regular-season game, considering how impressive he was in limited minutes during the preseason.
Recently deemed as an under-the-radar talent that fans should be excited about by Bleacher Report, writer Andy Bailey went on to rave about his stature and skillset as reasons to be exuberant about seeing the Serbian-born baller in action:
"Aleksej Pokusevski is a 7-footer with a 7’3″ wingspan who plays more like a guard than a big. His 190-pound frame probably has a lot to do with that, but there’s also an intriguing skill level here. If the frame fills out a bit, a player of his height who can dribble, pass and shoot should hold tremendous value. Granted, it’s not against the highest levels of competition, but those skills really pop in video of Pokusevski. The “moves like a guard” cliche really applies here, especially as it relates to his shooting form."
Again, though it’s only game one, in a year seen as somewhat of a wash, it’ll be interesting to see how Poku plays in his regular-season debut.