Aleksej Pokusevski is still somewhat of a mystery, but the young center is intriguing with upside that has him flying up draft boards and into the first round.
He has the upside of a star. His floor, though, is a player who would never come to the NBA from Europe.
The gap is that wide. And that’s a reason some think the Oklahoma City Thunder should take him.
A recent NBC Sports mock draft has the Thunder taking the Olympiacos B big, mentioning the word “unicorn” in his description. Author Tyler Byrum wrote:
“Pokusevski appears to be a boom-or-bust prospect as a lanky 7-footer with a unicorn skillset. He could be Bol Bol, or he could be Thon Maker. But what does seem to be clear is that he is rising draft boards as teams seem intrigued in his upside within a draft class that lacks star power.”
His bag is full of gifts. Pokusevski can shoot, handle the ball and pass — yet he’s 7 feet tall and has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. That combination of skill and size that could allow him to play multiple positions has some evaluators salivating.
But he has a lot of growth to do, both as a player and with his literal size. He needs to add weight to his 200-pound frame. Additionally, he plays in the second-tier Greek league, whose competition level is not nearly up to NBA standards.
That all could be detrimental to his chances to make it in the league. But with Pokusevski, who turns 19 in December, Oklahoma City could take a chance with a low first-round pick and try to start up their rebuild quickly.
