After the 2024-25 NBA season, former first-round pick Aleksej Pokusevski left to return to Europe after just four seasons.
Pokusevski spent the first three and a half seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before finishing with the Charlotte Hornets. He played for Partizan Belgrade in his native Serbia over the past two seasons.
The 24-year-old forward left Partizan this summer and signed with Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League in Russia earlier this month.
Aleksej Pokusevski Wants NBA Return
Speaking to Meridian Sports recently, Aleksej Pokusevski opened up about the possibility of returning to the NBA. He would like to play there again, but he believes he still has to make some improvements to his game.
“I’m definitely thinking about returning to the NBA,” Pokusevski said. “I don’t like to think about unrealistic things, but I think this is something realistic, especially considering my age. It will take time for me to get to that level. I don’t think about the NBA every day, but it’s in my head.
The former Oklahoma City Thunder forward added, “I have to take steps every day not to get to the NBA, but to a level where I can play good basketball with real status, in Lokomotiv or some EuroLeague team.”
“Of course I want to be in the NBA, but that can only come about naturally and with good decisions.”
In four seasons and 168 games, Pokusevski averaged 7.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He has shown flashes of brilliance at times, but he had to improve his body and strength in order to get to the next level.
The Thunder waived him midway through the 2024-25 season, but he ended up signing with the Charlotte Hornets.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Recent Success
Just one season after waiving Aleksej Pokusevski, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship. The Thunder always had the roster to succeed and dominate the league, which they did during the 2024-25 season.
They also had the best regular-season record last season, but they failed to reach the NBA Finals after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Facing the possibility of being on the second apron next season, the Thunder made some changes to their roster this summer. The Thunder parted ways with Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.
Dort and Wiggins were traded to the Atlanta Hawks in separate deals, while Joe was acquired by the Detroit Pistons. The Thunder are banking on Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topic to fill the void left by those three role players next season.
Former Oklahoma City Thunder Forward Wants to Make NBA Return