Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Aleksej Pokusevski – Weaknesses
Clearly, Pokusevski’s physicality and rail-thin frame is the biggest impediment to his physical development and role projection in the NBA.
With his blend of rim protection abilities and fluid movement, Pokusevski is clearly best suited to taking on center duties. But being able to hang down low and battle against more physically stout big men, even as the league trends smaller, will obviously be a tough task, even as he develops his body, whether overseas or within the NBA.
Beyond that, though, Pokusevski’s lack of core strength affects his overall inconsistency and being able to hone his skills, whether it’s developing his 3-point stroke, finishing at the rim, disrupting driving lanes when defending in space, etc.
In addition to the strength concerns, Pokusevski’s inconsistencies, whether that’s influenced by his shot selection or decision making with the ball in his hands, will have to be reined in to realize his very tantalizing potential. Per Real GM, the Serbian-born big man assumed a 26.1 usage percentage and posted an encouraging 1.61 assist-to-turnover ratio with Olympiacos this season.
It’s very possible that the competition level in the second division in Greece may have influenced Pokusevski’s desire for always making flashy plays and inconsistent effort levels, and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to a more competitive level when the time comes.