Pochkua was a riser in our latest 2028 update and if he continues with the type of play that he showed yesterday, he’ll be due for another rise in the update down the road. More of a lumbering 6-foot-7 forward at this stage, Pochkua brings a physical presence in the paint that allows him to handle taller bigs. He possesses good touch around the rim with sound footwork and awareness. Whether he was on the finishing end after a dump-off pass or getting to the rim following a mid-range rip off the bounce, Pochkhua embraced contact and finished through fouls on multiple occasions. He did his work on the glass and impressed me with how vocal he was in Thrill’s press or half court defense as the backline defender.

Previous Rank: 165

-Pochkhua is adjusting nicely to the American game and carved out a more consistent role with the Rams as the season wore on. Pochkhua really worked onto his body to not only lose weight but add muscle over the course of the season, a difficult combination to maintain skillsets throughout, but gave his team great energy at both ends of the floor. He’s a physical rebounder, grew much more comfortable taking his matchup off the bounce from the perimeter, and started to hit his free throws and perimeter jumpers more frequently as the summer wore on. As he plays with a Thrill 16u group that plays at a frenetic pace this spring and summer, that experience should pay dividends in both his short and long term develop as a high activity wing that can contribute in several different areas.

5p 6r 1a in 12 mins vs St Andrews

-The sophomore forward really made the most of his minutes, finding ways to be productive in two nice spurts of play as he served as a physical force on the glass for WNA. Pochkhua scored with a nice lefty hook in the paint after using a drop step to spin to face the rim then scored later in the same frame on an AND1 putback when he tipped in a rebound in between two boxed-out defenders to score it. His mobility and handle have improved to allow him to take forwards off the bounce and extend his minutes as a + help defender in ball screen situations. If he can add in a consistent jumper from beyond the arc, he will be a name to watch in 2028.

Previous Rank: Debut

-Some encouraging flashes from Pochkhua throughout the season as a forward prospect that has been working hard on his ball skills throughout the course of the season. He comes into the game bringing energy on the glass and has a nice set of finishing moves around the basket but he’s improved his handle to enable him to get by other forwards to the rim. The shooting ability makes him a nice pick n pop threat within the offense, he just needs to quicken his footwork and vertical leaping to carve out more of a role as a prospect.

While it came largely with the score bordering on out of hand at times, Pochkhua did more than enough in an 18-point second half on Sunday to warrant mention here a prospect worth tracking. A skilled big new to the U.S. from the eastern European nation of Georgia, he used his strong frame to establish leverage both in the post and attacking off the bounce out of faceups, warding off his man for tough finishes inside or drawing contact and converting efficiently at the foul line. He also showed admirable competitive fire, competing to the final whistle despite a lopsided margin. The European influence and FIBA experience is easy to see in Pochkhua’s processing ability and offensive versatility. He’ll have to work to establish a more clear defensive role in the long run, as he’s a bit undersized as a rim protector and slow of foot guarding on the perimeter, but his blend of size, skill, and toughness put him at least on a likely path to a scholarship when the time comes.