Pokusevski agreed to a one-year contract with Serbian club KK Partizan on Monday, Eurohoops.net reports.
The Serbian forward will return to his home country for the 2024-25 season after a four-year run in the NBA. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Pokusevski at times flashed intriguing shot-blocking and playmaking skills for a seven-footer, but efficiency was a major issue, as he shot just 39.1 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range while committing 1.5 turnovers in 20.4 minutes per game over 168 career contests with the Thunder and Hornets. Still just 22 years old, Pokusevski could resurface at the NBA level down the road if he's able to impress during his time in Europe.
The Hornets waived Pokusevski on Saturday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Pokusevski was picked up by the Hornets on Feb. 27 after being waived by the Thunder. The 22-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 19.3 minutes in 18 regular-season games with the club. Pokusevski will now enter free agency, searching for a new club after the worst statistical year of his career.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Sees just 13 minutes
Rotowire
Pokusevski chipped in four points (1-2 FG, 2-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one block in 13 minutes during Tuesday's 130-104 loss to the Mavericks.
Pokusevski saw a very light workload Tuesday, as Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges combined to score 43 points in the loss. Pokusevski has played well during his time with the Hornets, averaging 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 18.8 minutes.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Cleared to play in Monday's game
Rotowire
Pokusevski (illness) is available for Monday's game against the Celtics.
Pokusevski was doubtful for Monday's matchup, but he'll be able to return from a one-game absence. Assuming he's fully healthy, Pokusevski could see an uptick in playing time since Nick Richards (foot) has been ruled out.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Doubtful for Monday
Rotowire
Pokusevski (illness) is doubtful for Monday's game against the Celtics.
Pokusevski is expected to miss his second game in a row, and that's bad news for a Charlotte team that is very shorthanded. In his absence, Davis Bertans could see more run after playing 25 minutes against the Clippers on Sunday.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Unavailable Sunday
Rotowire
Pokusevski (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Clippers.
Pokusevski will miss his first contest since signing with the Hornets in February after a brief G League stint. The 22-year-old averaged 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 22.6 minutes across his last five appearances, so the Hornets will have a meaningful role available in what has mostly been an eight-man rotation of late.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Questionable for Sunday
Rotowire
Pokusevski is questionable for Saturday's game against the Clippers due to an illness.
The Hornets are already very shorthanded, so they would be in rough shape if Pokusevski isn't able to play. Pokusevski has averaged 19.4 minutes in March to go with 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Solid defensive numbers off bench
Rotowire
Pokusevski notched 11 points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in 19 minutes off the bench during Monday's 115-92 loss to the Cavaliers.
It was the first time all season the 22-year-old forward had scored more than 10 points. Pokusevski has worked his way into a consistent role in Charlotte's frontcourt rotation since being recalled from the G League in early March, playing double-digit minutes in seven straight games. Over that stretch, he's averaged 6.1 points, 4.1 boards, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in 20.9 minutes a contest. It would likely take an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to put him on the fantasy radar, but Pokusevski's defensive production could be intriguing with an increased workload.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Returns to NBA
Rotowire
The Hornets recalled Pokusevski from the G League's Greensboro Swarm on Friday.
Pokusevski will return to the NBA after a short stint in the G League. However, the 21-year-old big man is unlikely to receive significant playing time for the Hornets.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Recalled to Hornets
Rotowire
Charlotte recalled Pokusevski from the G League's Greensboro Swarm on Monday.
Pokusevski latched on with Charlotte after being waived by Oklahoma City at the end of February. He will likely get some opportunities to impress with the Hornets down the stretch, as they are dealing with a ton of injuries all over the roster.
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Hornets' Aleksej Pokusevski: Signs with Charlotte
Rotowire
Pokusevski agreed to a contract with Charlotte on Tuesday after being waived by Oklahoma City last week, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Pokusevski, the 17th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, has dealt with myriad of injuries across three-plus seasons in Oklahoma City. However, the 22-year-old flashed potential in 34 appearances in 2022-23, averaging 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 three-pointers in 20.6 minutes while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range. A skinny frame likely precludes the seven-foot Serbian from evolving into a full-time center, but he will likely take priority over JT Thor for third-string minutes in the Hornets' frontcourt moving forward.
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Aleksej Pokusevski: Parting ways with Oklahoma City
Rotowire
The Thunder waived Pokusevski on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Pokusevski averaged over 20 minutes per game in each of his first three seasons with the Thunder, but his role declined during the 2023-24 campaign. He's made just 10 appearances, averaging 1.2 points in 6.0 minutes per game. The 22-year-old will now attempt to seek out other opportunities.
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Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski: Rare appearance in loss
Rotowire
Pokusevski had zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) across six minutes during Saturday's 146-111 loss to the Mavericks.
Pokusevski played for just the 10th time this season, failing to score in six minutes. The once fantasy-darling has basically fallen out of the rotation in Oklahoma City, scoring a total of just 12 points across his 10 games played. There is no reason to consider him an asset, even in the deepest of leagues.
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Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski: Recalled to Thunder
Rotowire
The Thunder recalled Pokusevski from the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Tuesday, Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic reports.
Pokusevski will rejoin the Thunder after being sent to the G League earlier in the day to presumably practice. Tre Mann and Ousmane Dieng will be recalled alongside Pokusevski in advance of Wednesday's game against Chicago.
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Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski: Logs five minutes in blowout
Rotowire
Pokusevski finished with zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt), one rebound and one assist across five minutes during Tuesday's 123-87 victory over the Spurs.
Pokusevski re-entered the rotation Tuesday, playing five minutes of garbage time. Often viewed as a speculative per-minute asset, Pokusevski now finds himself in a tough spot, surrounded by a team looking to push for wins as opposed to draft picks. In a nutshell, he can be ignored in just about every format.
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Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski: Off injury report
Rotowire
Pokusevski (ankle) has no injury designation for Wednesday's regular-season opener against Houston.
Pokusevski's recovery was ahead of schedule as of Oct. 18, and it appears that the 21-year-old will be active for the start of the regular season. He'll likely be ramped up with extreme caution, but Pokusevski could cut into minutes for Ousmane Dieng when fully healthy.
Coach Mark Daigneault said Wednesday that Pokusevski's (ankle) rehab is "accelerating better than we thought," Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports.
Pokusevski sprained his right ankle during an offseason workout in September and was slated to be re-evaluated in six weeks. While his rehab appears to be going well, the fourth-year forward will likely still miss the start of the regular season. When healthy, he'll presumably be outside of the rotation now that Chet Holmgren is back in the picture, but Pokusevski could quickly carve out a reserve role if the Thunder's frontcourt suffers an injury or two. Pokusevski has averaged at least 20 minutes per game in each of his first three NBA seasons.
