Aleksej Pokusevski has looked like a better and more comfortable player since returning to the OKC Thunder from the G League.
When Aleksej Pokusevski returned from playing for the OKC Blue in the G League bubble, the Oklahoma City Thunder immediately noticed a difference.
Pokusevski looked more comfortable with the pace of the NBA. He looked better on the court. His numbers went up, to be sure, but more importantly, the eye test shows a better-adjusted player.
“When he went to the bubble, I think that was the best thing that he could have ever done or what we could have ever done with him,” Daigneault said.
“It allowed him to take a deep breath. It allowed a clean breaking point in the season for him to reflect on the first half.”
Daigneault said this after Pokusevski’s 21-point, six-rebound game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The 7-foot forward did this on 8-for-17 shooting.
These numbers may not jump off the page, but it’s unthinkably quick improvement for the youngest player in the league.
Over the first half of the season, Pokusevski reached 10 points just once in 17 appearances. He made more than three shots in only one game, and was shooting a smidge under 25% from the field and 18% from 3.
In the bubble, he got important minutes on the court, both in the starting lineup and late in games. His stats ticked up for the Blue, and he looked confident — and made some highlights.
In Pokusevski’s first game back, he set career-highs of 14 points and eight rebounds. Two games later, he recorded the first double-double of his career, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 boards against the Atlanta Hawks. Those remain career-highs two weeks later.
“Finding my pace on offense and still playing hard, competing in every game and just finding my pace with the ball on the offensive end,” he said after the March 11 game, the first after the All-Star break. “Just getting more comfortable with the ball and learning the pace of the game in America.”
Daigneault said he noticed similar.
“His pace these last 10 games or so has been significantly different and more controlled than early on,” the coach said. “That’s a good indicator that the game’s slowing down for him.”
Pokusevski entered COVID-19 health and safety protocol prior to the Wednesday game against the Toronto Raptors, but once he returns, he should be one of the Thunder’s most important players for the remainder of the season.
The No. 17 pick in the 2020 draft will continue to get all the opportunities he needs in the starting lineup as the organization prioritizes his growth.
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