five bold predictions for the OKC Thunder this season

Aleksej Pokusevski and Darius Bazley will be moved

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a lot of faces on the roster right now that will not be here when the team secures their next playoff berth. Aleksej Pokusevski and Darius Bazley are two of those players. This upcoming season will be Darius Bazley’s fourth year and Aleksej Pokusevski’s third. Heading into the new campaign, both players still have a history of not looking like they belong with the other players on the floor.

Pokusevski will likely have more leeway than Bazley this season. With that said, by the third and fourth year of an NBA career, players should look like they belong in the league, which Poku has so far this preseason, but they both still have frequent moments where they appear that they do not belong.

Perhaps, this is a product of the environment some players do not work on certain teams or situations. Maybe a fresh start somewhere else could provide a career boost for Bazley and Pokusevski. This has happened in the past when former Thunder players depart the team, they go on to have successful careers elsewhere. This is not an issue exclusive to the Thunder, OKC has also benefited from these scenarios, such as when they brought in Dion Waiters or Enes Kanter.

Editor note: 10. I do not see both players getting moved, especially not Aleksej Pokusevski. While the 2020 first-round pick is in his third year, he was never projected to be in the NBA the last two seasons and already looks more comfortable this season through six preseason games.