Tag: Aleksej Pokusevski

Report: OKC Thunder waive Aleksej Pokusevski

Report: OKC Thunder waive Aleksej Pokusevski.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have waived fourth-year forward Aleksej Pokusevski, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

This transaction isn’t too shocking. Pokusevski has been outside of the Thunder’s rotation for the entire season. After not being signed to an extension this past offseason, it was evident his time in OKC was coming to an end.

The 22-year-old struggled to gain consistency with the Thunder. Viewed as a long-term project, Pokusevski never panned out. Even when he looked like a solid rotation player, a fractured leg halted any momentum he gathered last season.

In four seasons, Pokusevski averaged 7.5 points on 38.7% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and two assists. He shot 29.9% from 3 on 3.5 attempts. The Thunder now have a vacant roster spot.

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Mark Daigneault explains Aleksej Pokusevski’s lack of playing time

Mark Daigneault explains Aleksej Pokusevski’s lack of playing time.

A massive reason the Oklahoma City Thunder have cracked open a contention window this season is their durability.

Outside of the occasional small injury, the Thunder have been relatively healthy all season. This has resulted in OKC entering many contests with a fully healthy 18-player roster. In turn, that has forced Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault to have healthy scratches. Fourth-year forward Aleksej Pokusevski has been a popular choice to not suit up.

Pokusevski is averaging career lows across the board, appearing in seven games for a total of 43 minutes. He last played on Dec. 11.

In the final year of his rookie deal, Pokusevski’s time with OKC is near an end. He’ll enter restricted free agency this offseason. When asked why the seven-footer remains an inactive, Daigneault said it’s about suiting up the best 15 players against their opponents.

“He’s healthy. You can only dress 15 guys and we’ve had kinda an uncommon run of health here. We’ve really had a healthy team for much of the season, which is hard to do,” Daigneault said during Monday’s practice. “Some of that is luck and some of that is the work these guys have put in. Some combination of the two.

“You have to make three guys inactive and we usually just put out the 15 in uniform that we think are most relevant for that game that night.”

It sounds like barring a long list of injuries, the 22-year-old will continue to receive inactives and DNPs. Pokusevski will need to rely on his first three seasons of data as a pitch to other teams in the league this summer to receive a second deal.

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3 Thunder players who are most likely to be moved at trade deadline

3 Thunder players who are most likely to be moved at trade deadline.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the Feb. 8 trade deadline as buyers for the first time in several years.

Sitting at 26-11 and tied for first place in the Western Conference standings, the Thunder have broken open a contending window led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams help round out one of the league’s best trios.

While a blockbuster in-season move is unlikely to happen, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has enough draft capital and young players to improve the roster on the margins.

If OKC elects to improve its depth, it’ll need to part ways with players on its roster. Let’s look at three of the most likely candidates on the Thunder who could be moved to upgrade their rotation in preparation for their first playoff run since 2020.

OKC Thunder recall Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann from G League’s Blue

OKC Thunder recall Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann from G League’s Blue.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Tuesday that they have recalled the trio of Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann from the G League’s OKC Blue.

With the Blue’s next game not happening until Friday, the trio had a chance to practice with the Thunder’s G League affiliate prior to being recalled for OKC’s home game against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Dieng was assigned to the Blue on Nov. 13 and played in three games for them during his week stay. In his three G League games, he’s averaged 16 points and 7.7 rebounds. Meanwhile, Pokusevski and Mann were assigned to the Blue on Tuesday morning and were quickly recalled.

Of the three, Dieng’s been the most consistent mainstay in OKC’s rotation when he’s been with the team. In 10 games, he’s averaged 11.3 minutes.

Meanwhile, Pokusevski and Mann have been on the outside looking in. The duo have each appeared in just five games and have averaged less than nine minutes.

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OKC Thunder assign Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann to G League’s OKC Blue

The Thunder assigned both Aleksej Pokuesevski and Tre Mann to the OKC Blue.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Tuesday they had assigned Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann to the G League’s OKC Blue.

This gives both players, who’ve received little playing time thus far with the Thunder, a chance to practice with the Blue and perhaps even play for them. Their next game is Friday, Nov. 24.

In five games this season, Pokusevski has averaged 1.2 points and 1.4 rebounds. In five games this season, Mann has averaged 4.8 points and 2.2 rebounds.

Both players have been on the outside looking in with OKC’s rotation thus far. With Pokusevski in his fourth season and Mann in his third season, their future with the Thunder likely isn’t for long.

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OKC Thunder recall Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann from G League’s OKC Blue

The Thunder recalled a trio of players from the OKC Blue the same day they were sent for assignment.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday they had recalled Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann from the G League’s OKC Blue.

The trio’s assignment lasted only a few hours, giving them a chance to practice with the Blue, who scrimmaged five-on-five during Sunday’s practice.

The Blue are conducting their training camp ahead of their 2023-24 season, which starts Nov. 10.

The trio has had a hard time getting consistent playing time this season. Dieng has averaged 13.3 minutes in six games. Poksevski has averaged six minutes in three games and Mann has averaged four minutes in three games.

At the moment, Dieng is the only one who has received somewhat consistent playing time. The franchise has more invested in him than the other two because he was a 2022 lottery pick. Pokusevski and Mann have been outside of OKC’s rotation.

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OKC Thunder assign Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann to G League’s OKC Blue

The Thunder assigned a trio of players to the G League.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday they had assigned Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann to the G League’s OKC Blue.

The trio has had a hard time getting consistent playing time this season. Dieng has averaged 13.3 minutes in six games. Poksevski has averaged six minutes in three games, and Mann has averaged four minutes in three games.

The Blue are conducting training camp ahead of their 2023-24 season, which starts Nov. 10. Odds are these assignments are to allow all three players to get extended practice time and reps.

At the moment, Dieng is the only one who has received somewhat consistent playing time. The franchise has more invested in him than the other two because he was a 2022 lottery pick. Pokusevski and Mann have been outside of OKC’s rotation.

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Aleksej Pokusevski does not receive contract extension, will enter restricted free agency

Aleksej Pokusevski does not receive contract extension, will enter restricted free agency next offseason.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have elected to not extend forward Aleksej Pokusevski, which means the 21-year-old will enter restricted free agency in the offseason.

The Thunder had until 5 p.m. CT on Monday, Oct. 23 to sign Pokusevski to a contract extension. This was the deadline for extensions prior to the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

Pokusevski is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He is set to make $5 million this season. He was selected 17th in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.

In 34 games last season, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 blocks last season and shot 36.5% from 3.

This news isn’t too surprising. Even though last season was his best yet, Pokusevski was limited to 34 games and missed three months with a broken leg.

Since then, Pokusevski has struggled to stay healthy. He suffered a small right humerus fracture at the beginning of the offseason that cost him nearly two months. He also suffered an ankle sprain that will cost him the start of the season.

This is a make-or-break year for Pokusevski. If he wants to get extended by the Thunder, he’ll need to stay healthy and play similarly to what he did last season.

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OKC Thunder 3 goals: What Aleksej Pokusevski has to accomplish in 2023-24 season

Setting up 3 goals that Aleksej Pokusevski can achieve this upcoming season.

In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.

Let’s assign three goals for Aleksej Pokusevski, who is entering a make-or-break year. The 21-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which means he’ll be eligible to be a restricted free agent next summer.

After struggling with health last season, the injuries look like they’re starting to pile up as an ankle sprain will force him to miss at least the first week of the regular season.

Aleksej Pokusevski suffers ankle sprain; out at least 6 weeks

Aleksej Pokusevski will miss at least the first week of regular season action for the Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Wednesday that forward Aleksej Pokusevski suffered a right ankle sprain during a workout on Tuesday. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks to provide an update on his progress.

The ankle sprain will roughly cost Pokusevski at least the first week of the 2023-24 regular season, as six weeks from today is Nov. 1. The Thunder kick off their season against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 25.

It’s been a rough offseason for Pokusevski, as he also suffered a right arm injury that cost him over a month in the early stages of the summer on June 1.

This also comes off the heels of an injury-plagued 2022-23 season for Pokusevski, who was limited to 34 games. He suffered a leg fracture in Dec. 2022 that forced him to miss three months of NBA action.

The 21-year-old enters his fourth season with the Thunder. He will be eligible to enter restricted free agency this upcoming summer if he is not extended before then.

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