In one of Kevin O’Connor’s mock drafts for the Ringer, he mentioned that multiple sources told him the Oklahoma City Thunder had interest in Aleksej Pokusevski.
In another, O’Connor said that “with the league going in the direction that it is, he could end up being the steal of the draft. As for who might take him? Well, I’ve heard nothing aside from the long-reported interest of the Thunder.”
Pokusevski has a wide draft range, but he has steadily seen an increase in projected position in mock drafts. It looks like he’ll be off the board before the Thunder use their 25th pick.
Would the Thunder try to move up for him? The Dennis Schroder trade reports could help with this.
Oklahoma City is reportedly trading Schroder to the Lakers in a deal that includes the 28th pick in the draft. The Thunder may not want two late-first-round draft picks, but perhaps a team in the 18-22 range would be willing to move down in exchange for both of them.
At that position, the Thunder should be able to get the 7-foot player, unless he goes in the lottery.
Pokusevski is intriguing because he is a unicorn-type player. He can shoot and pass. He has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. If he hits his potential, he could be one of the best players in the league.
But he also weighs just 200 pounds, which could prevent him from defender larger or stronger players. He played in a weak league in Greece. As sparkling as his potential is, there’s a real chance he busts in the league.
But Oklahoma City, a team that is preparing to embark on a rebuild and already has more than a dozen draft picks from a variety of teams over the next half-decade, can afford to take a risk.
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