Aleksej Pokuševski

Serbian slenderman Aleksej Pokusevski may have been the most polarizing prospect in this recent NBA draft. There was some chatter that he may crack the top 10, but he ended up falling to # 17 and wound up with the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder.

By and large, the primary concern with Pokusevski was his frame. He's listed at 7'0" and 190 pounds (!). He doesn't look like a typical NBA player; he looks like two kids wearing a trenchcoat. Because of that, there's a natural concern and takeaway that Pokusevski won't be able to handle the NBA because he won't be able to bang with the big bodies down low.

However, that ignores an important fact: Pokusevski is not meant to bang with the big bodies down low. He's not a "big" in the traditional sense. He's not a real center. He's more perimeter-oriented, as a playmaker and shooter. If he was 6'6" or 6'7", he'd be an ordinary SG-SF wing. His skill set wouldn't be terribly different. But because he's grown to 7'0", we have a tendency to look at him a different way.

But we shouldn't. Pokusevski is basically a wing player. A very, very tall wing. A .

Pokusevski may be unique in that way, but he's not a one-off. We're seeing more and more of this variety of player, a trend that will only continue on. Kevin Durant has the skill set of a small forward, but he's nearly 7'0" (whether he wants to admit it or not.) Coming down the pike we have more super-sized super-prospects like Emoni Bates (6'9") and Patrick Baldwin (6'10"). Eventually, enormous wing players may become the new prototype.

How do these pterodactyls differ from "unicorns" like Kristaps Porzingis? Again, they're more of true wings than "stretch bigs." Big men like Joel Embiid and Myles Turner may be able to stretch their shooting range to 3, but no one's asking them to guard around the perimeter. We don't see Aron Baynes defending DeMar DeRozan. Those guys are skilled BIGS (emphasis on big.) In contrast, Pokusevski and other pterodactyls are stretched out wings. They don't necessarily have to be "stretch fours" either -- theirs is the skill set of traditional SGs or SFs, only in extended form.

Dude had shown signs of potential in the G-League and today played his best game by far. Thunder really could really have found an hidden gem in this guy.

Poku didn't have the best start at all this season. His efficiency improved a lot after his horrendous start last season so i thought this would be his turning point, but he looks even worse this season.

He's averaging 4/4/1 on 34/20/62 shooting splits (41% TS)

Hopefully he won''t end up as the next Dragan Bender.

The Minnesota Timberwolves select Aleksej Pokusevski with the 17th overall pick who will be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder

To buy a Poku silver prizm rookie at a PSA 10 less than two years ago, you would need to spend over 200 dollars. Today the same cars is going for almost 10. Ungraded gold prizm cards were selling for over $5,000. I wouldn't expect many would pay much over $200 for one today.

Remember that buying singles of young players is speculative and you should think twice if you are doing it for profit. If you love a young player, and want to collect him that is great but be careful if you think these will hold value. Almost always, they do not.

What is going on with his minutes? Every time I see Okc play he's playing well yet his minutes fluctuate like crazy. Is your coach just jealous of Poku's good looks or is there a reason for it?

I know his +/- weren't great last game but the whole team was playing badly for the spurts he was in, not necessarily because of him, was he the scapegoat? If so, how will his minutes look from now on?

I felt he was a lock at starting center (or anything really he can play anywhere).

OKC just waived Aleksej Pokusevski. There were just no minutes in their loaded talented young rotation for him. He just turned 22. He reminds me of a poor man's AK47. He's not close to being a finished product yet. I think he's already better than Luka Samanic is right now. We do have an open roster spot & we might even have 2 if Otto agrees to a buyout. Should we take a flyer on "Poku"?

Coming out of the Greek 2nd division, there were justifiable concerns regarding Sam Presti’s decision to trade up in the 2020 Draft and select the 190-pound 7-footer. Aleksej Pokusevski fits right in line with Presti’s favorite type of player to draft, a raw talent with all the potential in the world, but far from an NBA contributor in present time.

Now don’t get me wrong, most advanced metrics place Pokusevski in the bottom five players of the 2021 season. But the flashes of brilliance that Presti expected were well and truly present.

While he possesses an incredibly thin frame and lacks any strength whatsoever, Pokusevksi's height is a huge factor in his potential. There are not many 7-footers who have the agility, speed, and ball-handling ability to create their own shots off the dribble like Pokusevski.

Here he fakes like he's going to use the screen from Moses Brown then crosses over before getting past Luke Kennard for the finger roll layup.

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While he misses the shot, he sizes up his defender and gets to his spot in the lane for the jump shot.

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As seen in the two clips above, Pokusevski has demonstrated the ability to handle the ball in the pick-and-roll which is a rare talent for someone of his size.

His dribble is fluid, crafty, and he has a good ability to change pace and direction. He does well at getting to his spots in the mid-range and in the lane.

This is a fantastic read. He uses the screen from Brown and with Reggie Jackson going over the screen and Serge Ibaka playing drop coverage to prevent the roll-man from being open. Pokusevski has all the space he needs to get the floater off.

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Pokusevski endured a rocky start to the season. In his first 17 games, he averaged 3.3 points on a measly 24.7% field-goal percentage. But in early February he was sent down to Orlando where he participated in the G-League bubble.

This experience did wonders for him. It allowed him to develop his game with a larger role than what he had in the NBA. Upon return, it was immediately evident that he had improved since he last played for the Thunder. His shot looked smoother and he looked more comfortable participating in an NBA offense.

In the final 28 games of the season, he put up 11.1 points on 36.8% from the field. Now, this still isn't anything incredible, but the fact that he made noticeable improvement over the course of his rookie year is a promising sign for his future development. With Shai Gilgeous- Alexander out injured, Pokusevski was essentially playing the point guard position. The Thunder already have a crowed guard position as is, but look to see him continue to get minutes as the primary ball handler next year.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault sung Pokusevski's praises towards the end of the year. “To think about where he was at the beginning of the season and then the way he played now is a true, tangible example of a player developing."

His season was capped off with a 29-point performance, including 6-threes against the LA Clippers in Oklahoma City's final game of the season. While Thunder fans weren't thrilled about the damage this did to their lottery odds (that ultimately saw them fall to 6th), they were beyond pleased with Pokusevski's performance and what this could mean for the future. Pokusevski is the youngest player in his draft class and won't turn 20-years-old until December.

His ball-handling and playmaking capabilities are what impressed Thunder faithful the most this year. He is able to make quick reads and execute passes through tight windows. 7- footers that can pass the ball are all the rage right now, if the reigning MVP is anything to go off of.

There is no denying that there are many holes in his game that he needs to patch-up in order to reach his sky-high ceiling, but the natural passing ability is something you can't teach.

On this play, he gets out in transition but the lob pass is off-target. He is able to corral the pass and save it from going out of bounds with the overhead flick pass. This is just instincts that you don't ordinarily see from someone so young.

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Not quite as fancy as the previous example, but here is a more basic read and execution. The defense switches on the pick-and-roll and he finds Brown with the overhand entry pass into a tight window. As previously stated, Pokusevski is a proficient handler in the pick-and- roll which can be lethal at his size.

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When it comes to shooting the ball, he's shown the necessary flashes. He has an awkward shot form with a low set-point, but it showed improvement over the course of the season. Earlier on, he was essentially chucking the ball at the rim. But in the latter half of the season, it was much smoother and coordinated. While he shot just 28% from behind the arc. he had three games with five or more three-pointers made.

He's able to hit threes off the dribble but was particularly impressive when moving off the ball and shooting it off the catch. 91.4% of his field goals from three were assisted. He did a great job running off screens and relocating himself behind the line for the shot.

He can be deadly for opposing defenses when he gets out into transition. Thanks to the combination of his speed and size, he excels at running the break for easy lay-ins.

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Most expected him to get thrown around and bullied on the defensive side of the ball, primarily due to his weight, but it wasn't as bad as anticipated. He wasn't a positive defender by any means, but there were many instances of him using his length and lateral quickness to disrupt opponents on the perimeter. He also demonstrated potential as a shot- blocker, thanks again to his length, but also his impressive timing.

The biggest concern surrounding Pokusevski remians obvious, it's his weight. At just 190lbs, he is freakishly skinny. While he's a crafty finisher, it's ultimately going to be a struggle to finish inside the paint against stronger defenders when you're not strong yourself.

Pokusevski did not participate in the recent NBA Summer League, nor did he join the Serbian national team at the Olympic qualifiers. Reportedly this is due to the organisation not believing that it was the right route to take in his development, instead opting to put him on a weight-gaining plan.

Heading into his second season in the league, there are two key areas you would love to see him improve on. One being his weight and another being his shooting. If he's able to tack on 20-pounds to his frame and improve his consistency from deep, you can expect a much better season from the youngster in a role that will most likely have him playing as a legitimate second option to Shai Gilgeos-Alexander.

Currently, Aleksej Pokusevski is not much more than a popular NBA meme. He wasn't drafted by Presti to become an immediate contributor in the league, but if he can tap into his unlimited potential, there is no telling how good this guy can be. Plenty to be excited for down in Oklahoma City.

Full stats:

7 PTS

3-20 FGA

1-10 3PT

7 REB

5 AST

2 STL

2 BLK

5 TO

+17 (highest of any player on either team lol)

Magic got out-tanked tonight.