Former OKC Thunder First-Round Pick Aleksej Pokusevski Leaves NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Aleksej Pokusevski in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft and have now seen that experiment come to a close after releasing the project forward at the NBA Deadline and now seeing him swiftly exit the NBA.

Apr 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Aleksej Pokusevski (17) celebrates after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports

In 2020 the Oklahoma City Thunder turned in an interesting draft card, trading up the board to select Serbia's Aleksej Pokusevski. This was a pick that started the team's rebuild after a spunky 2019-20 season led by Chris Paul, Oklahoma City was ready to throw themselves full-stop into a rebuild that spanned two seasons with no fans - then limited fans - in attendance.

This was a selection that was met with mixed reviews at the time and has since been much lambasted after seeing who went after Pokusevski. Though, the move was always a high-risk high-reward outcome. The most likely path for the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is the one he took - an interesting four-year run in the NBA before ultimately bouncing out of the league.

It was a risk worth taking for a team the Thunder were building to lose in hopes of landing top selections in the 2021 and 2022 NBA Draft, which they accomplished and has led them down the path of a 57-win roster with the best odds to win the Western Conference this season.

While Pokusevski has a highlight and lowlight tape that can make you smile, the 22-year-old could never put it all together to be a consistent contributor at the NBA level with two spots in his career.

Aleksej Pokusevski To Sign With Partizan https://t.co/1PknAwQjId

— RealGM (@RealGM) August 12, 2024

The former first-round pick ends with 168 NBA games under his belt split between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets. In that span he averaged seven points, three rebounds and an assist per game while shooting 40 percent from the floor, 32 percent from beyond the arc and 73 percent from the charity stripe.

Pokusevski has left the NBA, inking a contract with Partizan in Serbia for this upcoming basketball season.

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