Oklahoma City Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski has suffered a small fracture to his right humerous during an off-season workout. There is no exact timeline on how long he will be out for at this point, but he is expected to be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
Pokusevski has been no stranger to injury since he was drafted to the Thunder with the 17th pick in 2020. In his first season, the Serbian played 45 of a possible 72 games, missing with a raft of smaller injuries, while in 2021-22 he played 61 games. Last season injuries really took their toll, with a leg injury sustained just after Christmas forcing him to essentially miss the rest of the season.
Standing at 7'0″ and with both potential shooting and ball-handling ability, Pokusevski is a unique talent. As with all players of his ilk, however, he requires plenty of development to reach his potential, and an inability to stay on the court has so far significantly hindered that development.
In his three seasons in the league his numbers haven't really progressed, but he has certainly shown glimpses of his ability. On the 3rd of April, 2022, he became the 12th youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, scoring 17 points, grabbing ten boards and dishing out 12 assists in what proved to be his last game of the season, against the Phoenix Suns.
For the time being, those glimpses have been just that, but at just 21 years of age Aleksej Pokusevski still has time to prove his worth at NBA level. His susceptibility to injury, however, certainly won't help. Fortunately this one won't keep him off the NBA floor, but he and the Thunder will no doubt be eager for him to have as much time on the court in the lead-up to next season as possible.
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