The OKC Thunder have assigned four players to the OKC Blue as part of the new G-League season. This is going to be played in a bubble at the same place the NBA completed their 2019-20 season. It is unlikely that there is going to be much roster fluidity between the Thunder and the Blue given the restrictions and length of the season.
This means that the Thunder are going to have to go deeper into their bench to cover the 17 and a half minutes that Pokusevski has been averaging. The other assigned players, Ty Jerome, Josh Hall, and Moses Brown do not have the regular court time that Pokusevski does so this is not an issue.
The Thunder have given Aleksej Pokusevski every chance to show that he deserves the playing time allotted to him. He has not managed to translate his talent into production, at least on the offensive end.
The OKC Thunder would like Aleksej Pokusevski to grow in the bubble.
Pokusevski has really struggled with his shot in the time he has had in the NBA so far. He did not have the time to acclimatize to the differences between division two in Greece and the best league in the world. Without that he has not got any confidence in his shot and is making mistakes.
Some of the mistakes being made a rule differences. One example of this is that in Europe you can take the ball off the rim if the shot is missing, but in the NBA it has to clear the cylinder. This has cost the Thunder on a number of occasions. However, he will be able to adjust his game to NBA conditions in the lower-pressure G-League.
Let’s take a look at who needs to step up in his absence.
OKC Thunder step-up player No. 1) Kenrich Williams
Kenrich Williams is the OKC Thunder version of the swiss army knife. He has multiple talents that can be used whenever he comes onto the court. He is always ready to come onto the court and do what is needed and he does that through energy.
This is what Williams brings to the floor every time that he sets foot on the court. He is not the biggest player, standing at only 6’6″ but his energy allows him to play taller. He is also able to handle the defensive duties of a smaller player.
Pokusevski’s main skill that he has bought to the Thunder is his rebounding ability. Being 7’0″ and long, he is able to snag rebounds without being in a good position. Williams is able to use his energy to get to the right places and collect rebounds on both ends of the court.
Williams also showed in the game against the Houston Rockets that when he gets a decent amount of court time he has the ability to score in multiple ways. If he can bring that when Pokusevski is in the G-League bubble then the Thunder are going to be better off as Pokusevski has struggled to score.
OKC Thunder step-up player No. 2) Isaiah Roby
Another player who has been used in multiple roles is Isaiah Roby. When Al Horford was not available due to the birth of his fourth child, it was Roby who stepped into the starting role. He performed admirably and made a case for this to be permanent.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Roby started in place of Luguentz Dort and has shown that he can do so many things. Despite being only 6’8″, Roby plays so much taller while also being able to handle the ball, especially on a fast break.
Roby is averaging 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 19.3 minutes per game. He is scoring at all levels, going at 53.8 percent from the floor, a serviceable 32.0 percent from deep, and his free-throw shooting has improved to 71.8 percent from the line, he struggled at the start of the season from the stripe.
Roby is showing that he is ready to accept any challenge and if he can snare some of Pokusevski’s court time then he is going to use it well. He has good chemistry with Horford, Darius Bazley, and Mike Muscala meaning that the OKC Thunder frontcourt will not lose anything if Roby plays up to his potential.
OKC Thunder step-up player No. 3) Justin Jackson
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The player who has potentially the most to with Pokusevski being assigned to the G-League is Justin Jackson. The 6’8″ combination forward struggled to get a foothold in the rotation at the start of the season. Over the last six games, he has made the floor every time. Up until this stretch of games the most he had played in a row was two.
Jackson has clearly been behind Pokusevski in the rotation and the Thunder have been gradually working him into more game time as they knew Pokusevski was going to be absent for a month. The problem is, if Pokusevske explodes in the G-League then Jackson will lose the most time when he comes back.
The other issue for Jackson is never going to take over the offense. He is a nice support piece but has shown over his four years in the league that he can do good things like shoot the 3-ball and penetrate inside but has never taken the next step.
Jackson is shooting below 20 percent from deep on the season which is clearly not good enough. If he can get some quality minutes where he can work out his role in the offense then he is a good chance of increasing this number.