Oklahoma City Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski remains in concussion protocol, but head coach Mark Daigneault noticed improvement in the rookie on Tuesday morning.
Pokusevski suffered a concussion during practice on Sunday when he fell and his head collided with another player’s knee. He entered protocol and did not play in the Monday game against the Miami Heat.
“Poku is with us, he started his concussion protocol and is in good spirits,” Daigneault said. “Felt a lot better this morning, I saw him at breakfast.”
The rookie averaged 16 minutes over his first five games in the NBA. He struggled to hit shots, but his rebounding and passing looked good. The 19-year-old is averaging one point, block and steal apiece, 1.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Forwards Isaiah Roby and Justin Jackson saw time early against the Heat in his stead. Neither could get going, as Jackson had six points on 2-for-7 shooting in 19 minutes and Roby finished with three points on 1-for-5 shooting in 24 minutes.
The Thunder lost to the Heat 118-90.
The next opponent will be the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be a rematch from an OKC loss last week.
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