Does Aleksej Pokusevski Have a Future with the OKC Thunder?

After three seasons in OKC, it may be time for the Poku experiment to end.

The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Aleksej Pokusevski in 2020 and have spent the past three seasons working on his development.

The former first-round pick out of Serbia has struggled to find his role in the NBA as he has developed his skills and battled through injuries. Pokusevski has missed 96 games in his young career, including 48 last season alone.

Although Pokusevski has had some injury setbacks, he is expected to be healthy in time for the start of the season. Given the Thunder’s upcoming roster crunch, Pokusevski’s future with the team is uncertain.

Pokusevski has shown he is versatile on both ends of the floor. While his height and length help him as a shot blocker, that size makes him a unique threat offensively.

As a seven-footer who can handle the ball and shoot from anywhere, Pokusevski should be able to make a positive impact in the NBA. However, his wavering confidence and out-of-control play have been his downfall.

Early last season, Pokusevski emerged as a legitimate contributor. Before suffering a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture in his left leg, the Serbian started 25 of the Thunder’s first 34 games.

Pokusevski was shooting career-bests from the field and beyond the arc in that span. On the other end, he added five rebounds and just over one block in 21 minutes per game.

But even toward the end of that stretch, Pokusevski looked lost at times and appeared to lose some of his confidence. When he finally returned in late March, he played only three games and never looked like the version of himself from early in the season.

The Thunder must decide if it is worth the effort to keep him. With rookies Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren set to debut and former first-round pick Ousmane Dieng getting up to speed, any remaining time for Pokusevski’s development would be limited.

Dieng likely takes Pokusevski’s place as the high-upside project for the Thunder. And because the Thunder are looking to win now, Pokusevski would not have the green light he’s been given in years past.

Ultimately, it may be difficult for Pokusevski to find a role. There are few minutes to go around, and for someone as unpolished as Pokusevski, even backup center minutes are a stretch.

While his inconsistent play and concerns about his ability to stay healthy would be significant factors if OKC parts way with Pokusevski, they may not be the most important. Because of his potential, there are likely teams around the league willing to give up more in a package for him compared to the others competing for OKC’s final roster spots.

Pokusevski was the first project of the Thunder’s rebuild, and as difficult as it might be, moving on may be in the best interest of both sides.

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