OKC Thunder: Aleksej Pokusevski regresses in week five action
In a week where the OKC Thunder were meant to play three games, they ended up only playing two due to the Philadelphia 76ers having too many players out. As a result, rookie Aleksej Pokusevski played games against two of the best teams in the west.
He played against the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers and had one of his worst weeks in the league. It is nothing to be concerned about as rookie projects have good and bad weeks all the time. It is the nature of being a rookie.
This was also the week where Bleacher Report released their breakdown on top rookies. While they were high on Theo Maledon, they were low on Pokusevski. This is understandable given that Pokusevski is a project player and is struggling.
Where the OKC Thunder are struggling with Aleksej Pokusevski.
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The biggest area that Pokusevski is struggling with is his turnovers. He has more turnovers (four) than points (three) in his last two games. In just under 17 minutes he is averaging 1.5 turnovers. There was a game where he was credited with six turnovers at the start of the season.
He is struggling with the pace of the game and as a result, is trying too hard. In order to speed up, Pokusevski needs to slow down. However, it is more than just turnovers. Pokusevski is still struggling with his shot.
Pokusevski is shooting 17.5 percent on the season. This is simply horrendous. Over the last two games, he went 1-of-9 which is worse, making only 11.1 percent of his shots from deep. This season is going to be tough for rookies to get any confidence but if he does not make in-game adjustments, look for an improvement post-All-Star break.
Next. B/R excited about one Thunder player. dark
However, it is not all doom and gloom for Pokusevski fans. He has three games out of the 12 he has played where he has not recorded a block. He has collected two or more rebounds in every game except one. There is hope for the youngest player in the NBA, and the good thing is, the OKC Thunder have the time to give him the best opportunity he can hope for.