OKC Thunder: Aleksej Pokusevski viewed as a ‘player to watch’ in fantasy

After making the postseason 10 times in the last 11 seasons, Sam Presti and co. felt it was time for the OKC Thunder to set course for a franchise rebuild in 2020-21.

Now, focusing on a youth movement in the Sooner State, this team finds itself consistently rolling out one of the youngest rosters in the association with an average age of 25.5. Amongst this group of players is the youngest talent in the NBA in rookie forward Aleksej Pokusevski.

Selected 17th overall in this past draft, the 19-year-old Serbian-born baller was a relative mystery to scouts, but his 7-0 size coupled with his raw talent was something that could not be ignored, especially by Presti who wound up trading for his services just two days after being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Starting out his NBA career averaging a mere 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting an abysmal 25 percent from the field and an even worse 17.9 percent from deep, the man referred to as Poku was showcasing a worrisome adjustment period as he transitioned from the EuroLeague’s level of play.

Following his struggles through the first 17 games of action, the Thunder opted to send the rookie down to the G League to hone his skills with the OKC Blue. Staying for 12 outings, the youngster saw much more playing time of 25.2 minutes per game and posted a more consistent logline of 7.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, four assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.

With these days spent in the development league, Presti believed it was time to call Pokusevski back up to the big leagues and get another shot at NBA action. Upon his initial arrival, the big man seemed to be just a tad bit better than he was prior to being sent to the Blue, but after a few games of action he managed to pick up the pace.

OKC Thunder rookie Aleksej Pokusevski deemed as a ‘player to watch’ in fantasy

During the four games in which he’s been back with the OKC Thunder, Poku is finding himself putting up improved averages all across the board, posting 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while also seeing his first career double-double come about in a 23 point, 10 rebound fashion against the Memphis Grizzlies.

His level of play has improved so much, in fact, that Bleacher Report writer Joe Tansey believes the rookie could find himself being of some use, not just in reality, but in the fantasy realm of the sport as well, deeming him a ‘player to watch’ moving forward:

"In four games since the All-Star break, the 2020 first-round pick has played at least 29 minutes in each of his four games.Additionally, Pokusevski attempted over 10 field goals in three of those four contests. He made a season-high seven shots on Sunday versus the Memphis Grizzlies.Even if he does not score, Pokusevski will contribute rebounds and assists to make him a serviceable streaming option at small forward. He has 33 rebounds and 10 assists in the past week.If he becomes a more consistent scorer in the coming weeks, Pokusevski will carry more fantasy value as a solid backup to the league’s top small forwards.With that in mind, it is worth picking up Pokusevski now while he is widely available before he turns the high shot volume into a run of double-digit outings."

While Aleksej Pokusevski still appears to have a long way to go before he can be seen as a “star” in both the reality and the fantasy side of the sport, for OKC Thunder fans, seeing his name included on a ‘players to watch’ list is very exciting and, frankly, well deserved.

Let’s hope he can keep this level of play up.