2025 NBA Draft: Rocco Zikarsky Is a 7-foot-3 Shot-Blocker Extraordinaire

The young center has shown great ability in the post on both sides, but especially on defense.

FIBA.com

Australian center Rocco Zikarsky has the height one would want in a dominant post player, standing at 7-foot-3. He does weigh just 225 pounds, but what he lacks in build, he makes up for in mobility.

Around the rim on defense, Zikarsky is a feared shot blocker, one who has gotten multiple rejections in the same possession due to real length combined with excellent timing. He has great defensive footwork, playing in between the opposing offensive player and the basket as well as staying vertical in order to prevent foul calls when he makes a move on the ball.

Considering his size, he has very good leaping ability, allowing him to stay with more athletic forwards, especially when opponents leave the ground to finish at the rim. He has great feel defensively, which prevents his biting on shot fakes and allows him to stay in position.

An aforementioned aspect of Zikarsky's ability is his ability to move around at his size – the fact he can run the floor at 7-foot-3 is a major plus given the amount of transition ball played in the NBA. In the half-court, he's great in slip screen actions, using his positional mobility to cut to the rim and be a real lob threat.

Zikarsky, despite his pedigree, is still a bit of a work in progress. He averaged just 7.0 minutes per game last season for the Brisbane Bullets, and while he was effective in those minutes, the sample size was, obviously, very small.

It's common in the NBL that younger players don't necessarily get the playing time they might in another league, be it collegiate or otherwise, as Australia's professional division is highly competitive and focused on winning above developing players for the NBA.

That being said, Zikarsky was only 17 years old last season, and should see significantly more playing time this year with Brisbane. Alex Sarr, last year's No. 2 pick, played nearly 18 minutes per game in his season with Perth, so expect Zikarsky to get a major increase in floor time in his second campaign.

Overall, the size and attributes are there – Rocco Zikarsky just has to put it together for a full season.

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