10. Aleksej Pokusevski, big, Olympiacos
Half man, half myth, Aleksej Pokusevski’s arc as a prospect has been loosely compared to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s playing what amounts to high school competition in Greece, and the tape is therefore hard to come by. That said, not many prospects carry Pokusevski’s upside, even if his bust potential is higher than others in this range.
Poku is a 7-footer who moves and shoots like a wing. He can curl around screens and bury a catch-and-shoot jumper, or take smaller wings off the dribble and finish with acrobatic finesse at the rim. He has feather-soft touch on his jumpers and floaters, not to mention flashes of brilliance as a big man passer.
The issue for Poku is, frankly, whether or not he can actually play in the NBA — ever. He’s built like a ruler and would get obliterated if asked to play NBA defense tomorrow. He’s the most extreme work in progress on this board, and he probably won’t be in the league for at least another year or two. If teams are willing to wait, however, he could have the biggest payoff of anybody in this draft.