Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Aleksej Pokusevski

Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Aleksej Pokusevski – What the experts say

ESPN [$] (Jonathan Givony): 24th

The Athletic [$] (Sam Vecenie): 24th

Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 22nd

Sporting News (Chris Stone): 31st

Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wassermann): 27th

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 17th

Quotes:

Having ranked him 22nd on his most recent Big Board, Woo laid out just how intriguing Pokusevski stands as a prospect within this class, even as the path towards realizing his potential is fraught with risks:

"“Pokusevski is one of the weirder draft-eligible prospects and should be an interesting case study moving forward. He’s the youngest player on this board and his ball skills, shooting and fluidity at his size are highly unusual, but he’s so physically frail and ill-suited to play on the interior that he may never have a real chance of contributing on a regular basis in the NBA. He has the size to play center, but may never fill out to the point where he can actually do the job. He’s become an intriguing proposition nonetheless, in a weaker draft where we might see teams place added priority on stashing prospects overseas. Pokusevski is still more of an idea than anything, but the thought of him as a versatile stretch big might be enough to roll the dice.”"

Likewise, The Rookie Wire’s Bryan Kalbrosky outlined why the lack of a strong resume and consistent play in higher levels of competition only adds to the mystery surrounding Pokusevski:

"“Aleksej Pokusevski is a 7-foot playmaker who has a similar physical profile to Thon Maker, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Bol Bol. There is less film to study for Pokusevski than other top international prospects because he plays in a low-level Greek league, though he has proven himself to be a solid transition finisher. The prospect put up splits of 14.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 5.8 blocks and two three-pointers per 36 minutes at the U18 European Championships in 2019. His wiry frame is the biggest concern on his way to the NBA, but if he adds size, he is someone who has the potential to be the ultimate sleeper of this class.”"