Aleksej Pokusevski returns to the lineup for OKC Thunder

The OKC Thunder are set to start their 2023-24 regular season on Wednesday in the Windy City. This is the most anticipated Oklahoma City Thunder season since 2017, and Bricktown is on fire for this young core. Even Nationally, pundits are picking the Thunder as the surprise team left and right.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have already announced that Kenrich Williams is OUT for the team’s first two games of the season. The versatile forward will miss this two-game mini road trip with back spams, but his timeline past these first two tilts is up in the air, according to bench boss Mark Daigneault.

This is on the heels of the OKC Thunder still being days away from a re-evaluation of Jaylin Williams’ hamstring injury, sidelining him for this season-opening matchup against the Chicago Bulls. The Arkansas big man is already doing some on-court work post-practice.

Aleksej Pokusevski returns to the fold for the OKC Thunder against the Chicago Bulls, just in time for the season opener.

Through all the injury woes, the OKC Thunder will see Aleksej Pokusevski return to the hardwood on Wednesday. Pokusevski went down with a severe ankle injury just days before training camp in an offseason workout. The 2020 first-round pick went up for a block before landing on someone’s foot, which sidelined him the entire preseason.

Little by little, Aleksej Pokusevski began working out at practice and is now not listed on the official OKC Thunder injury report. This means the seven-footer will be active for game one of 82. Will he crack Mark Daigneault’s rotation? That is a different conversation entirely.

We are not sure where Pokusevski is at in the “Ramp up” or “return to play” process, but with the lack of big men, despite the team’s trust in Olivier Sarr, it seems likely Pokusevski will play, after being left off the injury report.