Aleksej Pokusevski is in the middle of his fourth season in the NBA and has only played for the Oklahoma City Thunder during that time.
Unfortunately, his time with the Thunder has just come to an end.
Shams Charania is reporting that the Thunder are waiving Pokusevski.
Just a few years ago, Pokusevski was the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft but he failed to ever really become a consistent and solid part of the team’s rotation.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are waiving Aleksej Pokusevski, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Pokusevski was the Thunder's No. 17 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and played 150 games across almost four years. pic.twitter.com/1m8d86W10C
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2024
Anyone paying attention to the Thunder isn’t that surprised by this move to let go of Pokusevski.
He hasn’t been a big part of the team for a long time now and never really panned out like the front office had hoped when they selected him in 2020.
There was a brief period when he looked like he was getting better and earning his spot on the roster but then a fractured leg last season disrupted all plans.
During his four seasons with the Thunder, Pokusevski has averaged 7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
He has only appeared in 10 games this season, putting up just 1.2 points during 6 minutes per game.
Now that Pokusevski has been waived from the Thunder, he can find a new home in the league with a different team, although that may be difficult given his history.
As for the Thunder, they now have one open spot on their roster that they can choose to fill or leave empty for the rest of the season.
The Thunder had high hopes for Pokusevski even though they knew he would require some assistance and guidance to become a reliable rotation player.
But the time has come for the Thunder to say goodbye to him and now he will attempt to move on to another franchise and really reach his potential.
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