Aleksej Pokusevski has expressed his expectations for the upcoming match between Serbia and Canada in the FIBA World Cup.
The first star of the team coached by Jordi Fernandez is Aleksej’s teammate from the Oklahoma Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I won’t give away any secrets, ha-ha… But Shai is an incredible player, and I think you can’t completely contain him. The only thing you can do is make the game difficult for him and maybe reduce his efficiency,” says Pokusevski for Mozzart Sport.
He then puts himself in a hypothetical situation of guarding him in the game: “I wouldn’t want to find myself in that situation, but I would have to – then I would pray to myself.”
Aleksej continued to praise the Oklahoma superstar, for whom he had only positive words.
“I’m not surprised at all by the way he’s playing. He’s a guy who works hard to get better and better. Basketball-wise, there’s not much to comment on, and character-wise, he’s increasingly taking on the role of the team leader, which suits him more and more… He’s a fantastic guy; we hear from each other here and there. He’s one of those who creates the atmosphere in the locker room. A true teammate.”
Despite having good relationships with some of the Canadian players, Pokusevski will be supporting his national team in the semifinal.
“I’m following the FIBA World Cup, and I really like what I see from our national team. It’s evident that the more they play together, the better they get, finding their rhythm… I’m very excited about this game against Canada, and I think the chances are equal for both them and us. Because we can match their fast-paced game, and I believe that their centers can’t match ours, and we can make a difference on offensive rebounds.”