Former Hornets Bust Signs New Overseas Contract

The Charlotte Hornets finally made the decision to rebuild towards the end of the 2023-24 season when they moved P.J. Washington, Terry Rozier, and Gordon Hayward and set themselves up well for the future. They also replaced Steve Clifford with Charles Lee as they are building a younger roster with more upside.

One player who was expected to be a part of that young roster was Aleksej Pokusevski. After being acquired from the OKC Thunder as part of the Gordon Hayward trade, Pokusevski had a chance to show what he could do in Charlotte. As it has been throughout his four-year NBA career, he failed to meet expectations and didn't get a contract extension from the Hornets. Now, he is signing with the Euroleague team Partizan Belgrade in his home country Serbia.

Aleksej Pokusevski Signing Contract With Partizan

This is not the career arc Pokusevski had in mind when he came to the league. As a 17th-overall pick, he was seen as a do-it-all forward with a ton of upside. At 7-foot, he showed intriguing ball handling and passing abilities but he wasn't able to put it all together in the NBA. His skinny frame and raw talent have always been a fascination of NBA watchers but there wasn't an impactful NBA player there.

Pokusevski appeared in 18 games for the Hornets last year, averaging 19.2 minutes, 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game on 42.9% shooting from the field.

Even though he has been in the league for a while now, Poku doesn't turn 23 for another couple of months. We have seen plenty of players failing to establish their careers in their first stint in the NBA but being able to find success after some time overseas. Until then, however, Pokusevski will be remembered as a draft bust.

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