A personal favorite of mine, Aleksej Pokusevski could shine in Dallas. Or anywhere, frankly. He’s more of a gamble than others in this range, but a 7-footer who moves like a wing, swishes off-movement 3s, can pass on the move, and who consumes stocks at a healthy rate is my kind of gamble. Not to mention, Dallas’ international scouts have a pretty sturdy track record.
The Mavs already have a stretchy big man in Kristaps Porzingis. Pokusevski doesn’t account for Porzingis’ strength deficit, but the idea of two hyper-versatile offensive bigs operating next to Luka Doncic to too appealing to ignore. Pokusevski has the upside of a top-five prospect, and the Mavs have shown no qualms about investing in “risky” prospects from overseas.
Poku will need to add muscle to his frame in order to thrive in the NBA. But his shooting is immediately translatable, as is his potential to push the tempo and create for others, especially on the fast break. That’s rare stuff for someone his size. The defense is a work in progress, but Pokusevski has no shortage of eye-popping plays to inspire confidence in the future.