Team Serbia announced on Wednesday that it did not receive permission from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Aleksej Pokusevski to play for it, per Eurohoops.
“For (Aleksej) Pokusevski and (Nikola) Jovic, we did not get permission from their teams,” the senior national team selector revealed regarding the players from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat, respectively. “The teams want the players to work there and get ready for the new season.”
This is a puzzling decision by the Thunder. Pokusevski likely would’ve received consistent minutes and playing international basketball might be a good experience for him — especially if he could play with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Pokusevski’s offseason plans since entering the NBA have been a bit weird. His first offseason was practically nonexistent due to COVID-19 forced condensed schedule. His second offseason included him skipping summer league. This offseason included him barely playing in it. Now he will not play for his home country.
