Welcome to OKC Aleksej POKUsevski

[spearsy23]

This is a difficult thought experiment you all are engaging in here. Part of what made Shaq's athleticism so impressive was just seeing a guy that big move like that, jump that high etc. Would it have seemed impressive if he'd been 6'5"? Objectively compared to other human beings, yes. Compared to numerous other NBA wings though? Seems unlikely.




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Strength is part of athleticism.

Okay, sure. How strong would alternate universe 6'5" Shaq have been? It's unknowable which is why this seems like a difficult question to me.

Re: Poku, he seems especially frail, and lacking in explosiveness in several off these clips I've seen which is what is concerning. Like athletically he may not even be an average athlete. His height will make up for some of that. How much is the question.

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Well originally your alternate universe was supposed to have the same athleticism wasn't he? So just as strong, which continues to make him a freak athlete, only now he's a real freak lol

But really we've gone a bit off the rails. My main point was that he has basically a high level high school player's skillset even on his pluses.

[Old Man Game]

Strength is part of athleticism.

Okay, sure. How strong would alternate universe 6'5" Shaq have been? It's unknowable which is why this seems like a difficult question to me.

Re: Poku, he seems especially frail, and lacking in explosiveness in several off these clips I've seen which is what is concerning. Like athletically he may not even be an average athlete. His height will make up for some of that. How much is the question.

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Well originally your alternate universe was supposed to have the same athleticism wasn't he? So just as strong, which continues to make him a freak athlete, only now he's a real freak lol

But really we've gone a bit off the rails. My main point was that he has basically a high level high school player's skillset even on his pluses.

I think we're in agreement. He reminds me of the old days when guys could get drafted straight out of high school.

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[Mickey8]

This is a difficult thought experiment you all are engaging in here. Part of what made Shaq's athleticism so impressive was just seeing a guy that big move like that, jump that high etc. Would it have seemed impressive if he'd been 6'5"? Objectively compared to other human beings, yes. Compared to numerous other NBA wings though? Seems unlikely.




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Strength is part of athleticism.

Okay, sure. How strong would alternate universe 6'5" Shaq have been? It's unknowable which is why this seems like a difficult question to me.

Re: Poku, he seems especially frail, and lacking in explosiveness in several off these clips I've seen which is what is concerning. Like athletically he may not even be an average athlete. His height will make up for some of that. How much is the question.

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Jokic is the least athletic player in the league yet he's one of the most productive players playing in the NBA. OKC shouldn't be concerned about Pokusevksi athleticism , him naturally being thin and not being physically strong to hold on his own , thats the major concern about him right now.

[ThunderBolt]

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[jake_swivel]

Heh, from Steven Adams interviews to aleksej interviews. It’s truly a different era.

[Old Man Game]

Solid interview. He seems really dedicated. You gotta like that.

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[MoGrAdY]

I assumed he would stay overseas but it seems like he might be coming over this season?

[mr570]

I assumed he would stay overseas but it seems like he might be coming over this season?

Yep. He's going to play immediately. Not start but definitely sees time.

[Mickey8]

There was no point of him staying in Europe if he was picked up that high and team have moved up in the Draft to get him, if he stayed in Greece he would have been stuck in their B Division or loaned to some other team in Greece . At least Thunder can test him right away since team will be bad anyways.

[ThunderBolt]

I thought presti’s comments seemed complimentary but not excessive. They almost sounded like Sam was challenging him (in a good way) to put in the work and prove it.

[ThunderBolt]

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[jake_swivel]

I thought presti’s comments seemed complimentary but not excessive. They almost sounded like Sam was challenging him (in a good way) to put in the work and prove it.

In combination with what he said draft night regarding the majority of most draft picks not working out, Presti sounded like he was trying to set expectations really low.

[ThunderBolt]

I thought presti’s comments seemed complimentary but not excessive. They almost sounded like Sam was challenging him (in a good way) to put in the work and prove it.

In combination with what he said draft night regarding the majority of most draft picks not working out, Presti sounded like he was trying to set expectations really low.

I'm pretty much ready to trade him for Rubio.

[jake_swivel]

I thought presti’s comments seemed complimentary but not excessive. They almost sounded like Sam was challenging him (in a good way) to put in the work and prove it.

In combination with what he said draft night regarding the majority of most draft picks not working out, Presti sounded like he was trying to set expectations really low.

I'm pretty much ready to trade him for Rubio.

I’ve tried to back off my pessimism a bit. I still think a swing for the fences pick was a good idea. And I’m no expert on scouting 17 year olds so maybe his body control has improved a ton. Outside of some great passes and ball handling, he ticks a lot of my “I hate this kind of player” boxes. Wishing I’m wrong.

[ThunderBolt]

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[bwgood77]

I thought presti’s comments seemed complimentary but not excessive. They almost sounded like Sam was challenging him (in a good way) to put in the work and prove it.

In combination with what he said draft night regarding the majority of most draft picks not working out, Presti sounded like he was trying to set expectations really low.

I assumed he would stay overseas but it seems like he might be coming over this season?

Yep. He's going to play immediately. Not start but definitely sees time.

How much playing time do you think he gets?

[ThunderBolt]

I thought presti’s comments seemed complimentary but not excessive. They almost sounded like Sam was challenging him (in a good way) to put in the work and prove it.

In combination with what he said draft night regarding the majority of most draft picks not working out, Presti sounded like he was trying to set expectations really low.

I assumed he would stay overseas but it seems like he might be coming over this season?

Yep. He's going to play immediately. Not start but definitely sees time.

How much playing time do you think he gets?

Probably more minutes than he would get in most other situations. If he does much of anything positive I could see him getting more minutes pretty quickly.

[bwgood77]

In combination with what he said draft night regarding the majority of most draft picks not working out, Presti sounded like he was trying to set expectations really low.

Yep. He's going to play immediately. Not start but definitely sees time.

How much playing time do you think he gets?

Probably more minutes than he would get in most other situations. If he does much of anything positive I could see him getting more minutes pretty quickly.

Yeah, I'm trying to decide whether to draft and stash in a dynasty league. I saw in his earlier play, he did everything...3s, assists, steals, blocks...I just know he will be really raw. But you never know with a lot of the foreign guys..some guys completely bust and some thrive fairly quickly.

[ThunderBolt]

How much playing time do you think he gets?

Probably more minutes than he would get in most other situations. If he does much of anything positive I could see him getting more minutes pretty quickly.

Yeah, I'm trying to decide whether to draft and stash in a dynasty league. I saw in his earlier play, he did everything...3s, assists, steals, blocks...I just know he will be really raw. But you never know with a lot of the foreign guys..some guys completely bust and some thrive fairly quickly.

Sabonis, Ferguson, Diallo and Bazley all got more minutes than they probably deserved on competitive teams. I can’t imagine that trend changes now that we are rebuilding.

[1bigfan13]

Jokic is the least athletic player in the league yet he's one of the most productive players playing in the NBA. OKC shouldn't be concerned about Pokusevksi athleticism , him naturally being thin and not being physically strong to hold on his own , thats the major concern about him right now.

He's definitely a bit of a project who's going to probably need at least 2 or 3 full seasons before he starts to fill out both physically and mentally. I'm actually not a fan of OKC taking fliers on these types of players (high school caliber). Because OKC is a small market team I'd rather bring in players who are ready to contribute in the NBA in year one. That way we can at least get 5 quality years out of them before they leave. Lets face it, quality free agents aren't exactly beating down the door to sign in OKC. Even when we were at our height it was a struggle convincing quality free agents to join the team. So I worry about OKC putting themselves in positions where they spend 3 years developing these skilled players who are projects, only to have the player jet via FA or trade right when they've finally developed into a quality player.