Anticipation built yesterday for the NBA's contract extension deadline, in preparation to see which players set for a contract extension would get extended by their respective teams.
Aleksej Pokusevski was the Oklahoma City Thunder's player up for extension, but the organization decided to not offer the forward a contract, thus making him a restricted free agent in the the 2024 offseason.
Since entering the NBA in 2020, Pokusevski has dealt with a career full of ups and downs.
The 21-year-old came into the league as a project player, entering Oklahoma City as the youngest player in the draft. Pokusevski finished with a fairly promising rookie season, averaging 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He dealt with some inconsistencies however, particularly in shooting an abysmal 28% from 3-point range.
Approaching his fourth season, Pokusevski has hardly made any progression in his game.
Much of that can be attributed to his injury luck, as the forward hasn't played more than 61 games in a season yet. Pokusevski only played in 34 games last season, and while part of it was just from falling out of the rotation due to other players outperforming him, the leg injury kept Pokusevski out for a substantial amount of time.
Pokusevski then suffered a small fracture in his right arm at the start of the summer that kept him out for 4-6 weeks, and shortly after suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out from the start of the regular season.
With all of the injuries Pokusevski has suffered in just three years – on top of inconsistencies in his level of play – it was unrealistic for Oklahoma City to give him a contract extension before seeing what he can do this season.
Once Pokusevski is healthy, the forward will have to prove that he can provide value to a Thunder roster filled with quality players. Oklahoma City has three incoming rookies – Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Vasilije Micic – who all should see a significant amount of minutes in Mark Daigneault's rotation.
Even a veteran like Davis Bertans has shown an ability to be an important piece off the Thunder bench at the power forward position with his elite 3-point shooting, giving the team a valued skill.
There were certainly signs of Pokusevski's potential last season – as he shot an improved 36.5% from 3-point range – but avoiding injury and giving the Thunder a consistent quality of play will be key in playing his way to an extension in restricted free agency.
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