Hornets to waive Aleksej Pokusevski

Steve Clifford, the Charlotte Hornets‘ former head coach and now front-office advisor, wishes he could have guard Vasilije Micic and big man Aleksej Pokusevski on the team much earlier than when the team acquired them in February. “My only regret is that I didn’t bring them earlier,” Clifford said per Mozzart during his visit at the Dusan Ivkovic clinic in Belgrade, Serbia. It would be even better if they were with us for the whole season, two great guys who fit into the team.” -via EuroHoops.net / June 30, 2024

“It wasn’t easy for him, but the very fact that he endured not playing, that he remained positive and hard-working, that’s what I liked most about him. A great guy,” Clifford commented. On a team with a crowded backcourt, Micic had 3.3 points and 2.5 assists in 12.0 minutes with the Thunder, playing in 30 out of the team’s 51 games before he got traded. Pokusevski followed the same route later in February and ended up posting 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18 games. ” I have to say that I am very happy for him because he showed that he can play,” Clifford mentioned on Pokusevski. “He made a step forward and that is the most important thing at this moment. It is important now to make continuity”. -via EuroHoops.net / June 30, 2024

Ending the season earlier than expected after being eliminated in the NBA Playoffs, Nikola Jokic will come back soon to prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris with the Serbian national team. The Denver Nuggets‘ superstar was indeed included into Svetislav Pesic’s 16-man preliminary list ahead of the biggest appointment of the summer, where Serbia got qualified after earning the silver medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, losing to Germany in the final. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vasilije Micic, Nikola Jovic, Aleksej Pokusevski, Nikola Milutinov, and other superstars are included into the Serbian national team’s Olympic extended roster. Four players will be cut before the start of the competition. -via EuroHoops.net / June 10, 2024