Pokusevski playing in bubble was ‘best thing that he could have ever done’

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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Moses Brown contract conversations started right after G League bubble

The OKC Thunder started discussing a standard contract with center Moses Brown shortly after he dominated the G League bubble.

Moses Brown’s new contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder may have been announced the day after the first 20/20 game of his career, but conversations for a standard contract began weeks before that.

Head coach Mark Daigneault said the organization started discussing a deal with the 7-foot-2 center when he returned from playing in the G League with the OKC Blue.

“When he got back from the bubble, this conversation kind of started,” Daigneault said. “It had been apparent that he was a worker and he’s a really good kid and that he’s somebody that had showed improvement by that point.”

Brown, who only played in 33 minutes as a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers, joined Oklahoma City on a two-way deal. He got spot minutes for the team in the first half of the season before going to play for the Blue.

In Orlando, he broke out, averaging 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He earned a Player of the Week honor there and was named to both the All-G League First Team and the Defensive Team.

By the time Brown returned, the Thunder were ready to get a look at him in the NBA. They thought the 21-year-old could continue to improve at the professional level.

“That’s why we put him on the court the way we did right away coming out of All-Star break, and he’s progressed nicely,” Daigneault said. “It’s only the beginning, hopefully, of his time here.”

This is the third year in a row that the Thunder have converted a two-way deal into a standard contract midway through the season. Last year, Lu Dort received a contract from OKC, and the season before it was Deonte Burton.

Burton is no longer rostered, but Dort’s final two seasons were guaranteed by the team last month.

Brown will now have the opportunity to receive the same. His contract is worth $6.8 million over four years, according to ESPN’s Royce Young, and only the first year is fully guaranteed.

“Our scouting, our guys pound the pavement scouting all over the world. They do an unbelievable job. And scouting’s kind of a thankless job … 99% of their evaluations are not guys that end up playing for us,” Daigneault said. “It’s great when we can pick up the development of that player. It shows great alignment, great synergy in the organization.”

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Moses Brown named to All-NBA G League First Team, Defensive Team

OKC Thunder center Moses Brown was named to the All-NBA G League First Team and Defensive Team for his performance with the Blue.

It’s been evident from Moses Brown’s recent play that the center picked up a thing or two from his time with the Oklahoma City Blue.

Now, he has the accolades to prove it. Brown was named to the All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Defensive Team, the developmental league announced on Tuesday.

Brown averaged 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks over 26.4 minutes per game for the Blue. He received a G League Player of the Week honor for the week ending Feb. 23 for a five-game stretch in which he averaged 19.8 points, 15.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game and helped OKC win all five games.

In his seven appearances since returning to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brown has averaged 10.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in 26.5 minutes and started four games.

Here is the full list of the All-NBA G League First Team:

  • Moses Brown – Oklahoma City Blue
  • Mamadi Diakite – Lakeland Magic
  • Jared Harper – Westchester Knicks
  • Kevin Porter Jr. – Rio Grande Valley Vipers
  • Paul Reed – Delaware Blue Coats

Here is the NBA G League All-Defensive Team:

  • Moses Brown – Oklahoma City Blue
  • Mamadi Diakite – Lakeland Magic
  • Tahjere McCall – Lakeland Magic
  • Gary Payton II – Raptors 905
  • Paul Reed – Delaware Blue Coats

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Aleksej Pokusevski reflects on G League time with OKC Blue

Aleksej Pokusevski returned to the Thunder from the OKC Blue with a better feel for the pace of the game and more confidence.

Aleksej Pokusevski’s first game back from the G League bubble was arguably the best of his career.

He hit a clutch 3-pointer from the corner. He got to the free throw line for the first time. He posted career-highs in points and rebounds.

Head coach Mark Daigneault said that being in the bubble allowed Pokusevski to reflect on his first half of his rookie season and find a better balance to his offensive rhythm.

“The hardest balance for a team and for players, especially young players, is the balance between being aggressive and confident, but also being functional and investing in the offense and blending into the team and choosing your spots,” Daigneault said.

“Early on, I thought it was evident with Poku … that he was working through that obviously and couldn’t really find that on an overly consistent basis.”

In the bubble, Pokusevski had a more prominent role than he did with the Thunder. He was a starter for the Blue, did more ball handling and played more minutes.

He said he grew more comfortable with the way U.S. basketball is played.

“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. “Just getting more comfortable with the ball and learning the pace of the game in America.”

It sounds like Daigneault has noticed some change during practice and in that the first game back, a 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

“When he went there it allowed him to take a deep breath, took some time to reflect … It allowed him to just remove himself both physically and mentally from the first stint of the season,” Daigneault said.

“Once he started playing in those games, he was allowing the game to unfold and let the plays come to him. And I thought that really carried over (against the Mavericks). There wasn’t really a time where he was trying to force or trying to make something happen that wasn’t there. He really helped the offense function.”

Pokusevski didn’t dominate the bubble by any means, but he did show some improvement in the box score along with the eye test. In 13 games with the Oklahoma City Blue, Pokusevski averaged 7.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 31.2% from the field and 27% from 3.

He also made a couple stellar passes that reached SportsCenter and the highlight reels.

Pokusevski was low-key about the pass.

“It was nice to see that I had some good moves, but the most important thing was we played as a team and I developed my game,” he said.

Daigneault similarly avoided celebrating those plays in the Zoom press conference. Though he gets excited about crazy highlights like anyone else, it’s not the flashy dimes that make great passers great passers, the coach said.

“When you watch Magic Johnson’s highlights, he’s making all those plays. If you watch Magic Johnson play the game, 90% of the passes he throws are really, really fundamental, simple passes, and that’s why he’s a great passer, not because of the highlight plays.”

To be clear, Daingeault was not comparing Pokusevski to Magic. Just saying the young forward has the abilities to be a great passer.

“The best passers, 90% of them, are making really, really simple, fundamental plays, getting off it early, putting teammates in quick advantages … and then the other ones that you see on the highlight film are frosting on the cake. He certainly has that ceiling as a passer, but no great passer has a whole diet of frosting.”

As Pokusevski matures and gets more accustomed to the game, maybe the Thunder will be able to have their frosted cake and eat it too.

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Thunder recall rookie Aleksej Pokusevski from G League

OKC Thunder rookie Aleksej Pokusevski has been recalled from the G League bubble.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Friday that they recalled rookie forward Aleksej Pokusevski from the G League.

Pokusevski was on the OKC Blue in the G League bubble, where he played in 13 games and averaged 25.2 minutes per contest. He averaged 7.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

The Thunder sent him down because they wanted to get him more minutes with the ball in his hands on the court. This gave the franchise a chance to work on his development away from the NBA games, where he had largely struggled, shooting 24.7% from the field and 17.9% from 3.

He was a bit better in the G League, shooting 31.2% from the field and 27% from 3. His scoring and rebounding numbers improved, and he recorded two double-doubles.

Pokusevski will look to bring that growth to the NBA, and the Thunder will look to find consistent playing time for him. Isaiah Roby has played very well in his stead, and minutes from players like Kenrich Williams and Justin Jackson have also been good.

The Blue have an 8-6 record heading into the final regular season game of the G League bubble. They will close it out against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

OKC Blue’s Moses Brown named G League Player of the Week

The G League Player of the Week is Moses Brown, a center for the OKC Blue and Thunder organization.

Center Moses Brown wasn’t getting many minutes with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the organization watching him in the developmental league this month, though, he might be able to force the NBA team’s hand. Brown was named the G League Player of the Week as he posted dominant numbers on both sides of the ball and helped lead the Oklahoma City Blue to a 5-0 record over the week. The team is now 7-1.

Brown posted 19.8 points and 15.0 rebounds per game while recording 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per contest this past week. He has done all this while averaging only 26.6 minutes per game over his eight total appearances.

On the court, he looks taller, longer and quicker than his opponents, and he’s dunking everything with power.

Thunder wing Darius Miller tweeted congratulations for Brown after the honor was announced on Tuesday.

Brown has appeared in 16 NBA games over the last two seasons, nine of which were with the Portland Trail Blazers and seven for the Thunder.

In total at the NBA level, Brown has made 11 of his 20 field goals and recorded 29 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. He is 10-for-22 from the free throw line.

The Thunder will hope he can learn from his experience in the G League and bring it back up to the NBA. Signed to a two-way contract, Brown will continue to be evaluated by Oklahoma City throughout the season.

The Blue’s next game will be against the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ affiliate, on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

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Aleksej Pokusevski records double-double in OKC Blue’s 5th straight win

The OKC Blue beat the Rio Grande Valley Vipers behind the performances of Zavier Simpson, Moses Brown and Aleksej Pokusevski.

The Oklahoma City Blue are on a roll. The Thunder’s G League affiliate won their fifth game in a row on Sunday, taking down the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 125-114.

Aleksej Pokusevski had his best game of the season in the victory.He recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds, both of which are career-bests for either the NBA or G League. It was his first double-double.

The No. 17 pick in the draft, Pokusevski has had more bad than good in the G League, only recording more than six points once in the five games prior to Sunday.

Shooting 8-for-16 from the field and adding four assists, he put up a good performance against the Vipers.

He wasn’t the only Blue player who performed well. Zavier Simpson posted team-highs of 24 points and seven assists to go with 11 rebounds.

It’s Simpson’s second double-double of the season as he has started to take on the role left by Chasson Randle, who signed a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic after two Blue games.

Moses Brown continued his dominance, posting 13 points and 17 boards. He had a whopping 11 offensive rebounds.

In total, eight Blue players scored double-digit points in the victory.

Watch the full game at the G League website.

3 G League Ignite players to watch against Oklahoma City Blue

Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Daishen Nix are players OKC Thunder fans should pay attention to in the Blue vs. Ignite G League game.

On Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s development league affiliate, the OKC Blue, will play against the G League Ignite.

Ignite is an alternative to the college route for a select group of elect high school basketball players. The roster, made of both the teens and more veteran players, is not affiliated with an NBA organization.

With the elite players on this team who do not have NBA representation, the Thunder can use this game in particular as part of their draft process: This is college for some of these athletes.

With multiple first-round picks — and potentially multiple top-10 picks — Oklahoma City could end up drafting one of these players next offseason. Fans can pay attention to a few players in particular.

The game tips off at 2 p.m. Central Time and will be aired on ESPNU.

Moses Brown grabs 17 boards, Antonius Cleveland scores 25 points in OKC Blue win

The OKC Blue dominated the G League opener. Antonius Cleveland scored 25, Moses Brown had 17 rebounds and Aleksej Pokusevski scored nine.

The Oklahoma City Blue, G League affiliate of the Thunder, dominated in their first game of the bubble tournament on Thursday.

The Blue took down the Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz’s affiliate, 118-84.

Small forward Antonius Cleveland scored the first 10 points of the game and finished with 25, the most for either team. He was excellent all-around, also grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing five assists.

Cleveland has 28 games of NBA experience. He appeared in 13 for the Dallas Mavericks in 2017-18 before getting injured and being waived. He was signed by the Atlanta Hawks, where he appeared in four games that same season.

He wouldn’t step on the NBA floor again until 2019-20, when he returned to the Mavericks and appeared in 11 games.

Guard Chasson Randle, who has 78 games of NBA experience, scored 18 points in 20 minutes.

Wing Rob Edwards, who was a college teammate of Thunder wing Lu Dort, scored 21 points and made four 3s.

This was the first look at some of the Thunder’s players in the G League.

Center Moses Brown thoroughly dominated as he recorded 15 points and 17 rebounds, six of them offensive, over 28 minutes of play.

Power forward Aleksej Pokusevski had five points, nine rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes. He shot 2-for-10 from the field and made a 3, and did not attempt a free throw.

Guard Ty Jerome also made his first appearance of the season. Acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Chris Paul trade, he did not appear in a single Thunder game due to a left ankle sprain.

He had four points, two assists and a rebound in eight minutes of play on Thursday.

The Blue’s next game will be played Friday against G League Ignite. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Time and can be viewed on ESPNU.

OKC Blue announce G League roster, schedule

The OKC Blue announced their G League roster and schedule. Two-way players Josh Hall and Moses Brown are listed ahead of the bubble games.

The Oklahoma City Blue announced their G League schedule on Wednesday and the roster on Thursday.

The team is preparing for the G League bubble tournament, which will feature 17 NBA affiliates and the G League Ignite, a one-year developmental program for elite prospects.

This bubble will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the same location as the NBA bubble last season.

The Blue’s roster is:

  • Moses Brown, Center (two-way player)
  • Antonius Cleveland, Guard
  • Rob Edwards, Guard
  • Vincent Edwards, Forward
  • Melvin Frazier Jr., Guard/Forward
  • Josh Hall, Forward (two-way player)
  • Jaylen Hoard, Forward
  • Vit Krejci, Guard
  • Chasson Randle, Guard
  • Zavier Simpson, Guard
  • Ryan Wooldridge, Guard
  • Omer Yurtseven, Center

Seven players have NBA experience. Cleveland, Vincent Edwards, Frazier, Hoard and Randle have all played in the association, and Brown and Hall have appeared in Thunder games this season.

Below is the schedule. All games will be on ESPN+ unless specified otherwise.

  • Feb. 11 vs. Salt Lake City, 10:30 a.m.
  • Feb. 12 vs. Team Ignite, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
  • Feb. 14 vs. Canton, 6 p.m.
  • Feb. 16 vs. Fort Wayne, 6:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 17 vs. Memphis, 6:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 19 vs. Lakeland, 2:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 21 vs. Rio Grande Valley, 10:30 a.m. (NBA TV and Twitch)
  • Feb. 22 vs. Iowa, 10 a.m.
  • Feb. 24 vs. Greensboro, 2:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 26 vs. Austin, 2:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 27 vs. Delaware, 10:30 a.m. (NBA TV and Twitch)
  • March 1 vs. Long Island, 10 a.m.
  • March 3 vs. Raptors, 6:30 p.m.
  • March 4 vs. Erie, 6 p.m.
  • March 6 vs. Santa Cruz, 2:30 p.m.

These 15 regular-season games will dictate the standings that will lead to a single-elimination playoff tournament between the top eight teams.