By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Aleksej Pokusevski is still in the very early stages of adjustments after being selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, coming out of Olympiacos complements him with professional experience coming in handy.
“It’s a bigger level, but it’s pretty [much] the same,” he said prior to his preseason debut, relays Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.
The promising youngster knocked in four threes ending up with 14 points while introducing himself to the NBA stage. He also registered eight rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes versus the San Antonio Spurs Saturday.
“Here I’m alone by myself right now, but I have experience about that,” he mentioned regarding getting used to his new surroundings, “Listen to everyone. Listen, listen, listen, and just learn, and everything’s going to be OK.”
The Belgrade-born grew up in Novi Sad and as a younger teenager moved to Greece for Olympiacos. He went through the youth system, made three Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances, and was mainly featured in the Olympiacos B squad in the most recent seasons.
“It’s a quiet city,” he said sharing his first impression of Oklahoma City, “Everything is pretty easy. People are close to you. They can help you all the time.”