OKC Thunder: 3 improvements Aleksej Pokusevski needs to make

OKC Thunder goal for Aleksej Pokusevski No. 1) Strength

The biggest knock on Pokusevski is that he is not strong enough to battle in the paint against power forwards, let alone centers. He stands 7’0” tall and only weighs 190 pounds. This is too light for the rigors of an NBA schedule, particularly if he is going to battle opposition big men.

There was no way that Pokusevski could have gotten into the weight room with the way the NBA schedule was this season. Now he has a full offseason, he can start working hard with the Thunder strength and conditioning coaches and put on some muscle.

To put it into perspective, Ty Jerome is 6’5” and weighs in at 195 pounds, five pounds heavier than Pokusevski. At the moment, the 19-year-old would not be able to back most guards down in the post, to get an easier bucket from the higher percentage area near the hoop.

To be fair, Pokusevski is not yet 20 years of age and his body is going to take a long time to put the muscle on. If he could get to 200 pounds by the start of the season then he is going to have an easier time next season.