Aleksej Pokusevski, the inner spark of the Thunder

Whether on a screen that left Magic quarterback Jalen Suggs on the ground after contact or on a block under the nose and beard of Paolo Banchero, the last No. 1 in the Draft, Aleksej Pokusevski, no is no longer the hesitant beginner he was two years ago, or even last year.

This season, his third in the League, is that of confirmation for the seven-foot Serb who no longer intends to be pushed around in the paint. Because, used in position 5 against the Magic, Poku held off Wendell Carter Jr, who will finish at 30 points and 12 rebounds all the same…

A more physical Poku

“He helped us defensively, but also offensively,” analyzed Mark Daigneault after the victory. “With his movements without the ball, by creating actions on the movement of the ball, by returning his shots. And then, defensively, he played super physical. We had J-Rob on Banchero late in the game and Poku was on Carter, who had been giving us problems for a good part of the game. But not too much at the end, [Poku] managed to hold it well. »

Like a goalkeeper, Aleksej Pokusevski was actually able to defend access to the circle with his huge arms, sometimes twice on the same action! Fluent or even downright fragile on his arrival in Oklahoma, Poku is now able to take the shock inside the NBA rackets. Quite a progression.

“It’s a team that had a lot of size”detailed Aleksej Pokusevski just after the final buzzer. “We wanted to try to have an impact on their best players, with Lu of course, who is one of the best defenders in the League. One of the keys to the game was the rebound. »

Present on this aspect of the game with several tap dances for himself and his teammates, Poku made his physique speak to overthrow the Magic last night. Because his team was indeed badly engaged in the third quarter, in the trough of the wave with a 20-8 in progress for Orlando…

A decisive Poku

But Aleksej Pokusevski sounded the revolt with his activity at the four corners of the field, including 5 rebounds, 2 points and one against. Not to mention multiple screens, “races” as Mark Daigneault pointed out before, and “extra passes” for the unmarked teammate at the end of the line.

With 16 points at 7/13 on shots, plus 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals, Poku not only achieved his best score of the season, but above all he threw all his weight into his team’s victory, throwing a 11-4 from his team after his 3-point shot to go back in front in the last quarter.

“We talk about it all the time: a match lasts 48 minutes! There will be ups and downs in a game. You just have to keep playing hard and hard. And find solutions. »

At +22 at “+/-“, just like the tonic Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Aleksej Pokusevski clearly brought the spark to get his team’s fourth victory of the season. Above all, the former Olympiakos finally seems ready to take his place among the executive players of the Thunder, in the same way as the SGAs, Dort and Giddey…

“I have the feeling that Poku is improving with each game”, enthuses Lu Dort. “Congratulations to him, he really had a great game! »