OKC Thunder: Aleksej Pokusevski – Expectations vs reality

When the OKC Thunder drafted Aleksej Pokusevski, they did so as a long shot with the 17th pick of the 2020 draft. He was an incredible prospect out of Europe, boasting a 7-0 frame and a skill set that allowed him to dribble, pass, shoot, rebound and block shots.

If he was able to perform in the NBA then this was an inspired draft choice.

The Thunder gave up two late first-round draft picks and Ricky Rubio to move up the draft order to get their shot at the Serbian shooting sensation.

Unfortunately for all involved, Pokusevski was not NBA-ready when he started to play. He was constantly turning the ball over, clanking his 3-point shots, and committing goaltending violations due to the difference in rules between European competitions and the NBA.

Then the OKC Thunder sent Aleksej Pokusevski to the G-League bubble.

It took a while for Poku to get his feet under him in the G-League but when he got comfortable he showed that he has huge potential. In fact, Pokusevski has started every game since he returned and has played well. It would be easy to look at his overall stats and say that he is a bust but that would be unfair.

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For the season he has averaged 7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 23.4 minutes per game. He has shot the ball at 32.8 percent from the floor, 26.5 percent from deep, and 80.0 percent from the line.

These numbers appear to be poor but breaking it down further we see that Pokusevski has taken a huge leap. Before the break, he was averaging 3.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 17.4 minutes per game. He shot the ball at 24.7 percent from the floor and 17.9 percent from deep. He did not attempt a free throw.

Since the break, Pokusevski is averaging 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 28.4 minutes per game. He is shooting the ball at 36.2 percent from the floor, 30.7 percent from deep, and 80.0 percent from the line.

So, what does all of this mean? Why am I writing about our expectations of Pokusevski vs the reality of the man?

Well, it’s because there is an expectation that he is going to be a star from the outside because the Thunder moved so much to get him.

Our expectations need to be lowered a little as the rookie is a mid-first-round project pick on a rebuilding team. That is the reality of the situation, and Pokusevski is not going to save the franchise this season. He is the youngest player in the NBA, and he is finding his feet in a new league and a new country.

He has shown tremendous growth in his first season which is all that can be asked of a rookie. He has shown the ability to be a solid rotation player for the rebuilding Thunder, with the potential to be a star.

I, for one, am enjoying sitting back and watching him learn and grow in a way that may benefit the OKC Thunder for many years to come. The reality is that he is going to make many mistakes in his journey but he is going to learn from them.