Alexei Pokushevsky now plays with confidence

In the second season of his NBA career, Alexei Pokushevsky didn’t compete as he would have liked. From the first to the 39th game of the regular season, he went through various stages, made two appearances in the Thunder starting five, saw his minutes rise and fall, his role grow and shrink, but with 4.6 points (35.8% overall shots) and 4 rebounds per 15.1 minutes didn’t seem ready for the next step. That’s why the Oklahoma City team sent him to the G-League for three weeks, from which the young Serbian forward, like last year, returned another player. With confidence, with determination, with stubbornness so that he doesn’t have to be relegated to the minor leagues again.

As of February 5, in 10 games, Poku has 10.8 points (48.4% on total shots, 40% on threes, 80% on shots), 6.4 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and 1.2 blocks only 1.3 errors per game 24.5 minutes. In the early hours of the morning he was even in the five in an away win over the Denver Nuggets, a match in which he had 9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 29:18. On 2.9. Pokusevski scored 18 points for the Raptors and on 11/2 15 for the Sixers while he was on 2/16. scored a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs.

The absences of Josh Giddy, Lugenz Dort, Kenritz Williams, Mike Mascala, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl gave the Serb an opportunity to get into the starting XI, but also take away a lot of minutes and now everything will depend on him. In Oklahoma City they’ve invested in his talent, he’s trying to adapt to the NBA stats, everyone knows he has the package of skills to play at this level, but he has to do it consistently and with perseverance, not blitzes do. The Thunder have guaranteed his contract for the 2022/23 season and the 20-year-old forward will stay with them for at least another year.