Heading into the new NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder is dealing with a few injuries. Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams both were hit with minor injuries during the preseason but should return to form early in the regular season.
Another injury the Thunder has been dealing with is Aleksej Pokusevski's ankle injury, which he has been dealing with since before training camp began. However, it seems as if Pokusevski is on the fast track back onto the basketball court.
At practice on Wednesday, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault provided an injury update on Pokusevski when speaking with a pool of local media.
“He’s progressing. He’s on his feet. He’s on the court. He’s made good progress. He’s actually accelerated faster than we might’ve anticipated," Daigneault said.
Heading into the season, it appeared as if Pokusevski had put on weight and strength to accompany his 7-foot frame and unique skillset. This is huge as he's building off a promising season just last year, though injuries have been quite a hindrance in this process.
Last season, Pokusevski shot a mere 37 percent from beyond the arc and 43 percent from the field -- both being career-highs. His role is minimized, too, and he's playing the game under much more control.
Adding another 7-footer to the rotation that we've seen over the court of preseason is going to be entertaining, as Chet Holmgren and the rest of the starting lineup look the part.
For Pokusevski to quickly rebound from his ankle injury is huge, because, as mentioned, it appeared that he was progressing quite nicely. For this injury to be nothing but a bump in the road is huge for the near-22-year-old heading into his fourth NBA season.
There's going to be a nice bench role for Pokusevksi to be able to fill, and this season is the perfect one for him to be able to show his impact on winning.
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