OKC Thunder: Aleksej Pokusevski sustains tibial plateau fracture, out at least six to eight weeks
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Dec. 29—The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Wednesday that forward Aleksej Pokusevski sustained a non-displaced tibial fracture on his left leg and will miss at least six to eight weeks.
The Thunder will announce an update on Pokusevski after six to eight weeks.
The injury occurred during the opening minutes of Tuesday's win against the San Antonio Spurs. After contesting for a rebound, Pokusevski fell and immediately called for a substitution while in clear pain on the floor. The recently-turned 21-year-old needed help exiting the court.
The earliest Pokusevski could return is in the middle of February, with a more likely return being in March or April. This means that Pokusevski will have roughly the last month of the regular season to return to if he comes back in time.
This is a big blow for the third-year player, who was gaining some serious momentum this season.
Pokusevski is eligible for a rookie extension this upcoming offseason. The good news for Pokusevski is that it sounds like this injury isn't anything serious enough to alter potential contract talks, as Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault confirmed after practice on Wednesday.
After two lackadaisical seasons of development, Pokusevski started to finally earn the fruit of his labors this year. In 31 games that include 25 starts, Pokusevski is averaging 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, two assists and 1.3 blocks.
Clemente Almanza is a sports reporter intern for The Transcript. You can reach him via email at calmanza@normantranscript.com or on Twitter @CAlmanza1007
