Q. You just finished year two. Just looking back on where you started and where you are now, how proud are you of the developmental strides you've been able to make?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: I think it was a great year for me. I had ups and downs, but at the end I got better, which was important for me. I think it was a great year.
Q. You mentioned the ups and downs; how much did the connectedness of not just the Thunder and the roster but also the G-League and the Thunder, how much did that kind of help you through kind of the ups and downs of the season?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: I think when I went to the G-League, I was trying to fight for my minutes to get back here. I was trying to get better. It was a great experience. I think the G-League coach and teammates there helped me pretty much, and I'm grateful for that.
Q. What is your summer going to look like?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: I mean, it's going to basically be the same as last year, working out, trying to get better, development, all those things being here in Oklahoma, nothing different.
Q. What's the main thing you're looking forward to working on?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: It's just going to be getting stronger, getting faster, bigger, and basketball-wise just getting better at all those -- shot percentage, things.
Q. What made this year good for you? Was it on the court stuff?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: Yeah, I feel better, I feel more confident from the beginning of the year. Like I said, I think I got better. But I think mostly it's like the team, the team got better, and I kind of feel that I'm in there, and that's what made me happy.
Q. It's a tough time to be moving across the world in general. How do you feel you've adapted over the past two years, and what has helped you the most?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: I think it went pretty good. It's pretty tough with the situation in the world, like you said. I think the Thunder helped me pretty much with that. I feel like I'm home here, so I don't have any problems.
Q. Mark Daigneault mentioned that a lot of people when they talk about your development talked about you getting stronger in the weight room but also being able to move more laterally on the perimeter defensively. Is that part of your physical development something you want to focus on this summer or do you want to stick to what you were doing more so?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: For sure, for sure, I want to be able to guard fast guys and be able to guard under the basket. I think that's going to be more of a thing for me, like being able to move laterally and guard guys.
Q. Do you anticipate playing Summer League?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: That's going to be the coaching staff's decision.
Q. Poku, what were the takeaways for you about this season? How much of a better player do you feel right now, and what would you like to carry over from the season overall?
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI: Just, like I said at the beginning, I think I got better during the season, but the summer helped me pretty much with that, being able to play every game and being able to practice during the season. Every practice is just something that helped me pretty much get better during the season.
I think like next year when the season starts, I'm going to be more ready, and I'm going to kind of know what's going to happen, and I'm going to be more physically ready and mental.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports