OKC Thunder: 3 things we must see during final stretch of season

During this final stretch of the 2020-21 campaign, there are 3 things we at TI believe are vital to see from the OKC Thunder

The OKC Thunder are now just 14 games away from the start of their offseason, which will be flush with a ton of hype and buzz surrounding the franchise.

In the midst of a full-fledged rebuild, Oklahoma City has seemingly had their sights set on the 2021 NBA Draft from game one and, with a potential total of three first-rounders, it would appear they are in a prime position to continue stockpiling their talent pool surrounding franchise player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, come the illustrious night.

However, as stated, before we get to the offseason the Thunder must get through this final month of action. Though perhaps there isn’t necessarily much to play for, as they’re not anywhere near vying for playoff contention, during this home-run stretch we at TI believe there are a few important things that we believe should happen:

Thing to see No. 1) More ‘Point-Poku’

Recently, we at TI proposed the idea of running sets in the lineup that utilized rookie wunderkind, Aleksej Pokusevski, as a primary ball-handler and facilitator.

Citing the shift to positionless basketball and his showcased skillset as a natural passer, we are under the impression that experimenting with ‘Point-Poku’ schemes could ultimately be beneficial both for the big’s progressions as well as for the team moving forward:

"At 7-0 with a 7-3 wingspan, the 19-year-old has shown an impressive set of skills all across the board, ranging from spurts of floor spacing to rim-protecting abilities. Perhaps the two most impressive aspects of his specific skill set are his court vision and his ability to put the ball on the floor. With his crafty combination of deception and hesitation maneuvers, Poku has proven capable of catching his defender off guard, allowing him to make his way past them to either look for his own shot or bring on a double-team where he can dish it to an open teammate. With examples of frontcourt-built players who can handle the rock and pass ranging from Ben Simmons and Nikola Jokic to Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, it’s evident how drastic of a shift the league is taking part in when it comes to positionless basketball. Because of this, coupled with the Thunder’s apparent need for secondary ball handlers, perhaps running schemes and plays that consist of Pokuševski taking charge of the offense could be an intriguing way of getting a better understanding as to whether he can operate in such a role at some point down the road."

Since posting this publication, Pokusevski has actually managed to see an uptick in on-ball possessions at the top of the key — coincidence? — which, in turn, has seen an average of five assists per outings from the rookie.

With SGA expected to still be out over the next two weeks, we at the site hope to continue seeing Poku serving as somewhat of a point-forward.