2025 Rookie Observation (25): Is the market for big Australian inside stars a little overrated?

Rocco Zikarsky/Australian team: Breesbane Bullet (Australian NBL)

Date of birth: July 2006

Birthplace: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Grade: International Player Level 06

Position: Double-Energy Guard

Bar-foot Height: 221cm

Wandspan: 225.4cm

Stand height: 290.8cm

Weight: 116.6kg

Template: Rudy Gobert Gobert, the offensively weakened version of Chet Holmgren,

expected market: the middle and late section of the first round to the second round

ranking of American high school students: international players without ranking

Note: The father is German swimmer Björn Zikarsky, who won the bronze medal in the men's 4*100m freestyle relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics; the mother is Australian women's triathlete Kyrie Zikarsky. His father's twin brother Bengt Zikarsky is also a swimmer. Not only did he win the bronze medal in the men's 4*100m freestyle relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he is also the bronze medal in the men's 4*100m freestyle relay at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Note 2: The last name Zikarsky appears to be a Slavic surname. Although there is no evidence to show this, considering the relevant historical situation, it is very likely that Zikarsky has Eastern European ancestry.

This season's data:

18 appearances, 11.8 minutes per game, 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds (1.6 frontcourt rebounds), 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.6 blocks, 0.6 turnovers and 1.3 fouls, shooting percentage of 52.4% (1.8/3.5), 20% from three-point shooting percentage (0.1/0.3), and 57.1% from free throws (0.9/1.6).

Advantages:

Zikarski has an extremely tall figure. His height and height are considered quite good in the history of the NBA joint test. He is also the best in body shape among this year's rookies.

Zikarsky has a pretty good ability to move without the ball, and his finishing ability is pretty sloppy, and he is also good at using pick-and-roll to complete the downs.

Zikarsky's biggest advantage lies in his defensive end. He has a very good defensive awareness. He has excellent inside defense ability. He has a high level of concentration on the defensive end. He will not lose position when defending inside. His ability to protect the frame is also relatively excellent. His defensive effect when meeting small players after changing defense is actually not bad. It seems that he has very comprehensive personal abilities on the defensive end.

Disadvantages:

Zikarsky's athletic ability is very average, and his movement speed is not outstanding. Several of his dynamic test data in the joint trial physical test are relatively backward, which will also make everyone feel a little worried about his adaptation after entering the NBA.

Zikarsky is quite tall, but relatively speaking, he can be stronger. When he arrived at the NBA arena, facing players with better athletic and confrontational abilities, it is also a huge question whether he can maintain such a level on the defensive end.

Zikarski has obviously poor skills on the offensive end, his scoring ability is very limited, and he lacks enough offensive means. In addition, he does not have basic passing ability and support ability, and he has almost no shooting ability. Zikarski will indeed seriously drag down the team's space on the offensive end, which will also make everyone feel a little worried.

Zikarsky's playing time is too limited, which also leads to his various statistics being very average. It will also be doubtful whether he can take on more responsibilities on both offense and defense while getting more playing time.

Expected market:

Zikarski's current draft market is actually pretty good. He has the chance to be selected in the early stage of the second round, and his draft market seems to be constantly improving. If he can show some characteristics in the trial training of some teams and be recognized by some teams, his draft market may have a chance to further improve. Zikarski's physical talent is there. He is also a very young player, and he has indeed assumed some responsibilities on the defensive end this season. His situation will indeed make some teams that need potential stocks in the interior.

Personal expectations:

Personally believe that Zikarsky's draft market is somewhat overrated. Zikarski's personal abilities are obviously very limited. He looks almost impossible to have any ability on the offensive end, and it doesn't seem likely to have a chance to be a reliable scorer. He will have a huge impact on the team on the offensive end. As for the defensive end, even if Zikarski can support the team in terms of frame protection and inside defense, his shortcomings in movement speed are there. Whether he can maintain this level on the defensive end in higher-level games is also a question mark. What's more, his playing time is so limited, we don't know if he can hold on to the situation in terms of energy and physical strength..

Target teams:

Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks

Some teams that need to strengthen the inside will be very interested in Zikarsky. The Hornets, Raptors and Wizards all hold first-term draft picks in the second round, which is also in line with Zikarsky's draft picks. They can directly choose him with the first-round draft picks. If Zikarski's market declines in the draft, teams that need centers like the Lakers, Clippers and Bucks will also consider buying a second-round pick or trading upwards and choosing him.