With Amar Sylla, Aleksandar Langovic, Maxime Carene, Vinicius Da Silva and Gora Camara, the 2020-eligible international class has a surplus of bigs, as all of the mentioned names have at the very least some equity as NBA rotation centers down the line.

All the players I’ve mentioned fit into a specific NBA role, whether it is:

The the 4/5 tweener who can defend multiple positions, shoot the basketball off the catch and has some perimeter self-creation potential (Sylla) The undersized but energetic big that goes hard on the offensive glass, has great touch below the rim but would benefit from an outside game (Langovic) The hyper-mobile switchable center that doesn’t really have an offensive game beyond catch-and-finish situations (Carene) The physical outlier that might or might not have an outside shot (Da Silva) The bruising 7-footer that can wreak havoc below the rim but might not have any semblance of mobility (Camara).

Among this group of bigs, Aleksej Pokusevski deserves a mention as he might just be the best player of them all (emphasis on might, as I think Amar Sylla is still the top big in this class). Unlike his peers however, Pokusevski doesn’t really fit an NBA mold, which doesn’t mean that Pokusevski won’t bring value to an NBA team. It just means that Aleksej Pokusevski is a curious case.

I. Rim Protection & Deflections

Pokusevski’s numbers as a rim protector have been really good for the past twelve months. This impressive stretch started at the U17 World Cup where Pokusevski led the tournament in blocks per game and finished top three in blocks per 36 minutes and BLK%, possessing a similar statistical impact as one of the top candidates for the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft in Evan Mobley and one of the best 2022-eligible international prospects we’ve seen so far in Adem Bona.

Pokusevski’s projection as an NBA-caliber rim protector starts with his elite measurements for the position. Standing at 7-foot tall in shoes with a 7’3” wingspan and a 9’1” standing reach, Pokusevski can affect the game by just being at the right place at the right time, as his length allows him to effortlessly block shots at the rim. While his skinny frame might be concerning for an interior defender weighing only 196 pounds at the moment, Pokusevski compensates with his length below the rim, where he’s able to contest shots even when facing stronger opponents.

Besides his length, it’s Pokusevski’s defensive discipline what allows him to be an efficient rim protector. Pokusevski is really good at maintaining verticality, which makes him avoid unnecessary shooting fouls below the rim. His tendency is to pin shots against the backboard instead of going for the volleyball spike type of block, which allows his team to regain possession of the basketball following one his blocks.

When facing a five-out offense, Pokusevski shows awareness and timing as a help defender, coming from the corner to contest and block shots. Even though his tendency to gravitate towards the rim on defense can make him vulnerable when he has to close out on shooters on the perimeter, Olympiacos went with a defensive scheme that placed Pokusevski around the rim as much as possible, trying to maximize his defensive value as a rim protector.

Weighing only 196 pounds at the moment, Pokusevski lacks the strength to be a full-time NBA five, but this hasn’t been a limitation for him as a rebounder up until this point as evidenced by his career-mark of 11.6 rebounds per 36 minutes. Pokusevski’s measurements give him a clear advantage in this area, as he barely has to jump to get rebounds in a crowd. But he has also shown good technique/motor on the boards, as he tries to find a body and box out for every rebound. His quick second and third jump also allows him to get contested rebounds and block shots after pump fakes.

As evidenced by his career mark of 2.9 steals per 36 minutes according to RealGM, Pokusevski’s combination of length, awareness of the passing lanes and quickness to react allow him to disrupt plays, deflect passes and get steals beyond the restricted area. In transition, Pokusevski is able to anticipate to plays and use his length to tip passes and prevent easy fastbreak points for the opposing team.

II. Shooting

The biggest improvement Pokusevski has made during the past year has been as a 3-point shooter. Pokusevski had shown flashes of making shots off the catch in 2018, both at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) and the U17 World Cup, but he certainly took a leap this year, turning those flashes into a consistent offensive weapon at ANGT, where he converted on 10 of his 19 3-point attempts through four games.

Olympiacos kept running plays for Pokusevski to shoot 3s coming off screens at ANGT, plays that you would rarely see a team run for 7-footers at this level of play.

Pokusevski was able to be efficient in these sorts of plays due to five different factors in my opinion:

Assertiveness. His shot preparation starts before he even touches the ball. Once he comes off a screen, Pokusevski is set on shooting the ball as soon as he gets open. This type of confidence and assertiveness allows him to not waste a single second once he’s open, giving opponents almost no chance to effectively contest. Quickness to set his feet and elevate. When he’s coming off a screen, Pokusevski needs little to no time to set his feet and barely bends his knees to elevate. Balance. Probably his most impressive trait as a shooter, Pokusevski’s shoulders align to the rim, his legs are fully extended as he jumps and he keeps an upright body on a 90° angle to the floor. Upper body mechanics. His shooting stroke is simple and repeatable, showing consistency from attempt to attempt. High release. As a 7-footer with the ability to elevate quickly, Pokusevski releases his shot from a high point, which makes it extremely hard to contest for opponents.

III. Passing & Functional Handle

Pokusevski acted as a sort of a point center at ANGT in 2018, occasionally initiating the offense for Olympiacos. In that role, Pokusevski showed impressive coordination and fluidity with the ball in his hands for his size, with an arm length that allows him to keep a low dribble point and minimize turnovers.

Pokusevski uses his dribbling ability to attract attention from help defenders and make plays for teammates on the move. In these scenarios, Pokusevski shows his vision and how he takes advantage of his size, making plays over smaller opponents.

This year however, Pokusevski’s opportunities to initiate the offense were a bit more sparse, with his assists coming mainly off of outlet passes. In these situations, Pokusevski showed accuracy and versatility as a long range passer, and his size makes it difficult for opposing teams to trap him in the half court, as he is able to simply pass over the top of everyone.

While at the NBA level Pokusevski won’t be asked to run much half court offense, he should be able to take advantage of his combination of size, fluidity with the ball and ability to recognize open teammates to be a threat in dribble hand-offs and to make plays for teammates on the move.

IV. Defensive Concerns

The one concern that seems to come up quite often in pieces and tweets about Pokusevski is his defensive motor. While his engagement on the defensive end could be more consistent, especially when he’s defending in space, I feel that it’s rather simplistic to blame his struggles on the perimeter solely on his effort. Personally, I believe that his struggles on the perimeter are due to three different factors.

First, there’s the physical limitations. While Pokusevski’s lateral mobility is above average for his size, he doesn’t have the ability to timely turn his hips when he’s defending one-on-one in the perimeter, nor does he possess the quickness to react once his opponent has gotten by him. This often times makes him a liability if he gets dragged to the perimeter, as opponents are able to go through him with simple moves.

In these scenarios, Pokusevski tries to rely on his size and length, putting more effort on trying to chase opponents down than in actually containing penetration in the perimeter. This leads me to the second factor for concern which is his overreliance on his size and length.

Olympiacos played a zone defense with Pokusevski as a defensive anchor that would rotate for closeouts when necessary on the past ANGT qualifiers. While he has improved as a closeout defender as of late, being quick to readjust after pump fakes, Pokusevski seems to trust his length too much. At times his length allows him to recover for blocks at the 3-point line, but it also leads to him fouling 3-point shooters, a tendency that could be concerning at the NBA level where players are more adept at drawing shooting fouls.

The third and final factor is his inconsistent motor and decision-making ability on defense.

The fact that Pokusevski can’t turn his hips is a concern in itself, but the sight of him giving up on plays as soon as his man gets by him on the perimeter where a lot of times he fouls while lazily attempting a steal only goes to amplify that initial concern. Pokusevski also gives up on plays when facing ball screens, where he shies away from contact even against screens set by smaller players.

There’s also the cherry-picking, as Pokusevski has a bad habit of starting to run in transition offense before his teammates even secure the defensive rebound. This takes him out of plays if the opposing team secures the offensive rebound, leaving his teammates defending four on five.

V. Limitations as an Interior Scorer

Pokusevski has struggled to be an efficient scorer on the interior up until this point in his career, mainly due to his lack of strength to take advantage of mismatches inside but also due to not having a natural touch or a developed footwork around the rim to compensate for his physical limitations. These concerns are reflected in his shooting percentages, as Pokusevski holds career marks of 46.3% in True Shooting and 41% from 2-point range, both subpar numbers for a 7-footer playing at the junior level in Europe.

Pokusevski’s lack of strength makes him struggle to get to his spots when he’s posting up, even against smaller defenders. This forces him into tough, low-percentage shots that he hasn’t show enough touch or polish to convert at this point.

This inability to overpower smaller defenders also limits Pokusevski as a self-creator on the perimeter. Pokusevski has shown the ability to attack defenders off the dribble in one-on-one situations due to his combination of fluidity, coordination, body control to navigate through tight spaces and quickness for his size.

However, his lack of strength makes it easier for opposing defenders to stay in front of him and contest his shots off the dribble, as he’s not always able to create enough space when he makes contact with opponents. In these situations Pokusevski is forced to pick up his dribble farther away from the basket than he should, which makes him settle for floaters and runners; the type of shots that he’s still not used to making given his lack of touch and polish inside.

VI. Overall

Aleksej Pokusevski is a curious case. It’s easy to dismiss his potential as an NBA big due to his issues with finishing at the rim, defending on the perimeter and with the motor concerns that the international draft community mentions every time you bring up his name. But it’s hard for me not to see how much value Pokusevski could bring to an NBA team, specifically in three areas where NBA teams can never get enough value:

The shooting at his size can transform him into a matchup nightmare for smaller perimeter players and make him test the stamina of bigger centers trying to chase him through screens all game long. The measurements, agility, commitment and awareness to rotate as a rim protector make him a potentially positive on defense at the NBA level. The on-ball skills for his size that could potentially make him a contributor on offense beyond his shooting off the catch.

Within the context of a 2020 international crop that might be as loaded with talent as any other international class we’ve ever seen, curious cases like Pokusevski are easy to overlook in favor of “safer” bets that already fit into certain NBA archetypes, whether they are tremendously polished forwards, athletic lead-initiators with high IQ, NBA-ready combo guards or multi-positional 6’9” defenders with high role-player potential.

I can easily see the risk of Pokusevski never developing beyond his clear limitations scaring some NBA teams. If he indeed gets overlooked and doesn’t get drafted in 2020, it doesn’t mean that the potential value at the NBA level isn’t there. There’s value to be found into fitting a certain NBA archetype, but there’s also value to be found in eccentricity. It’s just a matter of how much a team is willing to risk to unearth that value.

* Video sources: Arena Sport and FC Bayern official YouTube channels

*Photo Aleksej Pokusevski – Source: fiba.basketball

* Measurement sources: Eurospects

* Stat sources: RealGM