Aleksej Pokusevski

[pcbothwel]

NBA players aren't power lifters. They aren't going for their maximum weight possible.

Agreed, but NBA players (And most all athletes) get very little from a bench press. If you arent on your feet where balance and functional strength matter, then who cares.

Deadlift & Squat variations along with pulls (Cleans, Pullups, etc.) will add plenty of overall strength and size to any athlete.

[getrichordie]

if those are 45s then it's 135 lbs

Those are 20s, I believe...

Edit: Those are 20... KG weights = ~44 lbs. I forgot there were systems outside of the imperial.

[Ruzious]

If that is after 5 months of lifting, he's got a long way to go.

This guy must love high reps or something eh

That's what... 95 lbs, right? Yeeeeeeeeeesh!

Hey, KD came in and probably couldn't bench ****, but he made it work. He had a slingshot shooting form though...

And nobody's spotting him, so he's obviously not doing anything close to his max weight. His arms are awfully skinny, but that's probably going to change a lot over the next few years. He might not be an explosive leaper, but his mobility is off the charts for a guy that tall, and his arms aren't short. I think he's a wildcard in the draft who could go a lot higher than most think.

[kobyz]

gives me Clifford Robinson vibes

[EvanZ]

This guy must love high reps or something eh

That's what... 95 lbs, right? Yeeeeeeeeeesh!

Hey, KD came in and probably couldn't bench ****, but he made it work. He had a slingshot shooting form though...

And nobody's spotting him, so he's obviously not doing anything close to his max weight. His arms are awfully skinny, but that's probably going to change a lot over the next few years. He might not be an explosive leaper, but his mobility is off the charts for a guy that tall, and his arms aren't short. I think he's a wildcard in the draft who could go a lot higher than most think.

He's solidly 3rd on my board for the last month or so. I don't think he'll go that high, but man, I think he's a steal if he goes anywhere after 10 basically. And he's probably going mid-first or later knowing how risk-averse most teams are.

[clyde21]

KD couldn't even do a single rep of 135 at the combine, it's irrelevant

core strength/balance is a lot more important than upper body strength in this sport

[Stillwater]

KD couldn't even do a single rep of 135 at the combine, it's irrelevant

core strength/balance is a lot more important than upper body strength in this sport

yeah the fact it doesnt matter as much doesnt mean it doesnt matter at all imo.
I mean given his length and skill he should not be too hurt by it as a stash prospect
but if he brough t over right away where is he playing? I am not expecting him to
be capable of playing any significant minutes for a couple seasons unless he gets lucky and goes to
a roster that just makes a position for him

[Catchall]

KD couldn't even do a single rep of 135 at the combine, it's irrelevant

core strength/balance is a lot more important than upper body strength in this sport

I think it's more like 165 lbs. TMac had a hard time with it too.

[BlazersBroncos]

gives me Clifford Robinson vibes

Not a bad comparison, but he should be a better rebounder and passer IMO. Cliff averaged under 5 boards for his career. And, a much less versatile man defender. If I remember correctly Cliff could guard SF to C with good results. I wouldnt trust Poku against most SF, he is a PF through and through.

[EMG518]

How does he compare to someone like Dragan Bender coming into the draft?

[Catchall]

How does he compare to someone like Dragan Bender coming into the draft?

He moves much better, in large part because he's lighter. Also has much better ball skills. He's just a better player.

[nolang1]

How does he compare to someone like Dragan Bender coming into the draft?

He’s longer and uses that length to be a better rebounder and more disruptive on defense. He also has more potential to break people down off the dribble in the halfcourt while Bender was more of a short roll passer. Bender at 22 could still end up at better player (or at least a better fit on a championship contender) than some of the players in his draft who are now 26-27, but it’s a similar issue as with Pokusevski where the team that picks them needs to be willing to invest in a real development plan.

[Catchall]

Anyone know if Sacramento looking at Poku, given Vlade's Serbian connections? Sacramento will probably be drafting at #11 or #12.

[BlazersBroncos]

Anyone know if Sacramento looking at Poku, given Vlade's Serbian connections? Sacramento will probably be drafting at #11 or #12.

Hopefully, but we need to know if Vlade likes Poku's dad first.

[getrichordie]

[nolang1]

This is where the upside is scary to me. Between a shot chart like that and how he passes (you can even look at 'weaknesses' videos of his to see that a lot of his turnovers are more due to his teammates not being able to handle the ball or not realizing that they're open as soon as he does) you could say he has the best feel for the game in the draft, especially if you're grading for a curve based on age.

He knows what to do and it's just his lack of strength holding him back. Obviously someone like Giannis had a much better frame to improve upon and get to this MVP/all-time great level, but Pokusevski can still be a hell of a player if he just gets somewhere around average.

[Mirotic12]

This is where the upside is scary to me. Between a shot chart like that and how he passes (you can even look at 'weaknesses' videos of his to see that a lot of his turnovers are more due to his teammates not being able to handle the ball or not realizing that they're open as soon as he does) you could say he has the best feel for the game in the draft, especially if you're grading for a curve based on age.

He knows what to do and it's just his lack of strength holding him back. Obviously someone like Giannis had a much better frame to improve upon and get to this MVP/all-time great level, but Pokusevski can still be a hell of a player if he just gets somewhere around average.

Not really, Giannis' frame is quite small. He's just extremely wiry and he's stacked on tons of muscle. His frame is quite small though.

[No-Man]

Poku looks smaller than he is frame wise, it's the neck, he is narrow but he is going to be able to widen and put on weight just fine, he has already gotten wider from last year alone

I'd not say that Giannis frame is small, nor wide, he is kinda average for his size, he is just an extreme worker who has really hit the weight room, seems like Poku actually goes at it too, from what I heard he has been doing it since the pandemic started

[Sicnarf]

Do you think Poku could benefit from having kinda a Combine or private Workouts with teams in the bubble?

[nolang1]

This is where the upside is scary to me. Between a shot chart like that and how he passes (you can even look at 'weaknesses' videos of his to see that a lot of his turnovers are more due to his teammates not being able to handle the ball or not realizing that they're open as soon as he does) you could say he has the best feel for the game in the draft, especially if you're grading for a curve based on age.

He knows what to do and it's just his lack of strength holding him back. Obviously someone like Giannis had a much better frame to improve upon and get to this MVP/all-time great level, but Pokusevski can still be a hell of a player if he just gets somewhere around average.

Not really, Giannis' frame is quite small. He's just extremely wiry and he's stacked on tons of muscle. His frame is quite small though.

Yes, being long and wiry while still having lots of muscle is good for the purposes of playing basketball. Crazy concept I know! Did you think I was talking about a bodybuilding competition or something lol