Alexei Pokushevsky puts his failure in the NBA into perspective

Before the Thunder became a formidable winning machine, Alexey Pokushevsky he was part of this group of young guys who were supposed to take down the franchise, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Except things didn’t go as planned for him.

Chosen as the 17th pick in 2020, at only 18 years old, the Serbian failed to establish himself in Oklahoma (7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2 assists on average, in just over three years) and ended up released Then recovered by the Hornets 2024. Without any brilliance (7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on average in twenty games).

In the impasse in the United States, despite some nice sequencesAlexei Pokushevsky therefore completed his return to Europe. A citizen of Belgrade, then moves to Partizan and a year and a half later he draws a positive conclusion from his adventure across the Atlantic.

« There’s pressure, certainly, especially from me in terms of what I want to do and what I’ve done, but I’m very happy with my time there. Some things happened, injuries and other things didn’t help, but I’m very grateful for those times » he remembers chez EuroHoops.

Timing trumps everything else

Upon his arrival in Serbia, Aleksei Pokushevsky said keep the NBA in the backgroundwhile the first mixed experience might help him better understand the possible second.

« In the United States, everything is a matter of time » he assures today. ” I think that (Vasilije) Micić and (Saša) Vezenkov also understood that. Out there, it doesn’t matter who you are, I think the team you’re in and the timing are the most important things. If you get injured or stay healthy, so do the players on the field. »

And Aleksei Pokuševski cites as an example the situations of Vasilij Micić and Saša Vezenkov, who failed in the United States after being declared MVP of the Euroleague: ” Micić has a place in the NBA, but he was on a team in OKC that won the title the next year, and then he ended up in Charlotte where there were younger players who had more time and space, so he couldn’t find his place. On the other hand, I remember that Vezenkov was very good when he played, but he couldn’t find his place either. Regardless, I’m sure they’re both very happy with their time there. »

Soon to turn 24, Aleksei Pokuševski continues to not close the door on his return to the NBA, even if he believes he made the right choice by signing with Zeljko Obradović’s Partizan Belgrade, where he has a real role in the rotation.

« I could have handled some things differently there, that’s obvious, but that’s also part of my experience » he puts things into perspective. ” Like I said, some things happened that complicated my path to the NBA, eventually took me somewhere else, and when I was going to leave the United States, I told myself it was to play basketball and continue to study. I’m doing this with coach Željko and I’m very pleased that I’m back, that I’ve progressed, that I’ve worked a lot. Now we will see how things develop, whether I will one day return to the US or stay in Europe. »

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.