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PokuWatch: Still Chasing The Dragon

4:41 PM EST on February 21, 2021

Aleksej Pokusevski attempts a jump shot.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Welcome to PokuWatch, formerly BaynesWatch, a special Defector segment dedicated to the NBA’s most baffling ongoing statistical mystery.

Last time we checked in on Aleksej Pokusevski, the Oklahoma City Thunder's human lightning rod, it was to recognize a remarkable feat. The 19-year-old rookie had not yet attempted a free throw in 276 minutes of NBA play. That number ticked up to 296 before he moseyed over to the G-League in early February, where he has since played 116 minutes without attempting a free throw. While these numbers are dazzling, really we're just here to gaze into this magnificently dumb turnover from today's game between the Oklahoma City Blue and Rio Grande Valley Vipers:

https://twitter.com/Itamar1710/status/1363552635056439300

When a player passes to a teammate on the sideline, that's just replacement-level chuckles. To transcend the ordinary you must actively call for the ball from the bench and earn co-authorship of the lowlight. But so long as blog doofuses are still in the business of placing amusing clips within their statistical context, this was Poku's best basketball showing in the United States! The No. 17 pick had 19 points (on 8-of-16 shooting), 10 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in the win. He also did this:

Still no free throws, though.

This has been PokuWatch, formerly BaynesWatch.

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