Serbian basketball star Aleksej Pokusevski’s shoulder injury is worse than initially thought, and he might need surgery to fix it.
The 23-year-old forward won’t be able to play in Serbia’s upcoming EuroBasket qualifier games against Finland and Georgia. It’s a tough break for the young player who’s been trying to cement his place on the national team.
“Pokusevski is injured. He attended a video session yesterday, and his shoulder is not in good condition,” Serbia’s head coach Svetislav Pesic told reporters. “He’s in pain and unable to train. If he doesn’t recover soon and the issue worsens, surgery might be necessary.”
It’s been a rough year for Pokusevski. After a promising start with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he broke several team records as a rookie, he hit a major setback with a leg fracture that derailed his NBA career.
The Charlotte Hornets recently let him go, leading him back to his hometown of Belgrade, where he now plays for Partizan.
Serbia, ranked second in the world, has already qualified for the main EuroBasket tournament coming up in August. That’s given Coach Pesic some room to experiment with his lineup, especially with younger players.
The team is actually favored to win their first-ever EuroBasket gold medal this year.
For Pokusevski, though, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s already missed one chance at playing for his country when the Thunder didn’t approve his participation in the preliminary roster. Now this shoulder injury might keep him sidelined even longer.
The Serbian team isn’t hurting for talent, though. They’ve got 24 players in their preliminary squad, including established stars like Nikola Milutinov and rising talents like Filip Petrusev.
But for now, all eyes are on Pokusevski’s recovery and whether he’ll need that surgery. It’s a waiting game that could determine the next chapter in this young player’s career.
