The surge by Aleksej Pokusevski since he returned from the G League continues to attract the notice of analysts around the league.
In fact, Kevin Durant, LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards came up in conversation when The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie appeared on the “Down to Dunk” podcast about Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.
“I think his chance at being a super high-level star is higher than anyone else in this draft class other than LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards,” Vecenie said during the segment.
Pokusevski has an unbelievable mix of size, passing, speed and feel for the game for someone who is 7 feet tall and 19 years old. The speed factor isn’t necessarily how fast he goes, but it’s how he controls his body while attacking, particularly in the midrange.
“There’s just flashes where, I don’t know that I’ve seen a 7-footer outside of, like, Kevin Durant do,” Vecenie said, while being sure to note that he’s not comparing their talent but instead different skills the Thunder rookie has been flashing.
“It’s the way that he decelerates, plays with patience, changes gears. He plays at a pace that is all his own and has the type of body control that 7-footers just don’t have.”
Pokusevski was one of the worst rotation players in the league over the first half of the season, but after a stint in the G League that encompassed the All-Star break, he has been looking like a new player.
His numbers are up. He’s making better passes. His shooting percentages remain low, but not at the historically bad levels they were in the first half.
“The passing thing is crazy. He’ll get a baseline drive, do a Euro-step around someone, and then throw a wraparound from the baseline up to the opposite wing and you’re just like, ‘What just happened? … Who is this? What is going on?'” Vecenie said.
"How did he find Maledon?" 😳
Poku tossing dimes for the @okcthunder! #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/bszcuH5TrV
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) April 3, 2021
Here’s one of those passes Vecenie was referring to. The most impressive aspect might be that Pokusevski beat Mikal Bridges off the dribble and then found room around Deandre Ayton.
Vecenie said a lot of the time Pokusevski is “almost unplayable,” but that’s the good thing about the Thunder’s situation. They can afford to allow him to be aggressive and make his mistakes, ones that he clearly learns from.
The bulk of the mistakes come from poor shooting numbers, which can be improved upon; body weight, which can be tailored in the offseason; and turnovers, which come from experience.
“I honestly can’t put a ceiling on that guy,” Vecenie said.
The Thunder haven’t made any attempt to put a ceiling on him either.
[mm-video type=video id=01f3e9x4e64s4fhr437q playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f3e9x4e64s4fhr437q/01f3e9x4e64s4fhr437q-ea6646995bc1c8c36f8026f36255cdb4.jpg]
[listicle id=444850]