This is the most Dallas Mavericks pick possible, and you know what — I freakin’ love it. Aleksej Pokusevski is a lottery talent in this humble writer’s opinion, and his skill package as a 7-footer is only made more enticing by Dallas’ current investment in Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic.
Pokusevski is a home-run swing I fully endorse for Dallas. He’s one of the smoothest shooters on the board, with the length to shoot over most defenders and the speed to run sets normally reserved for wings. He moves and relocates effectively without the ball, and on the ball, he’s comfortable attacking closeouts and finishing with touch at the rim.
On top of his scoring, Pokusevski has high upside as a passer. He can handle the rock and pass on the move, and given his size, it’s not hard for him to peer over defenders to make advanced reads. There is on-tape evidence of Pokusevski handling in the pick-and-roll, and if he ever fills out his frame, there’s a lot to love about the stretchiness of a Pokusevski-Porzingis duo.