Australian Centers Named Knicks Draft Targets

The New York Knicks hold the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft, and there are a number of players the team could select.

Last year, the Knicks took an international center in Ariel Hukporti, and that could be a path the team goes in again in 2025.

HoopsHype listed Australian big men Lachlan Olbrich and Rocco Zikarsky as the likeliest players to be chosen by the Knicks at No. 50 overall.

"[It's] just how hard he plays," ESPN insider Jonathan Givony said about Olbrich.

"He led the combine in rebounding — 11 per game — and by a huge margin. He grabbed a rebound every two minutes he was on the floor. He scored 14 points a game. Every stat leaderboard, he's basically at the top: PER, field goal percentage, rebound percentage, offensive rebounds. He was just everywhere."

"Skill level, it's unique. It's not like a traditional skill level, in terms of his shooting. But, he's got all the old man tricks: the way he grabs rebounds and busts out and takes the ball coast to coast, playing off two, jumpstop, pivot, reverse, left hand, right hand, he's a fun player. He knows how to draw fouls, he's a very good passer."

Olbrich, 21, played in the NBL for the Illawarra Hawks last season, and helped them win the league's Grand Final back in March.

Zikarsky, who played for the Brisbane Bullets, is also a raw prospect, and Givony questions whether he will be able to shine in the NBA.

"I just don't think his feel for the game, his processing speed, his physicality, his motor, all those things aren't there," Givony said. "Now, that makes sense. He's 18. These 7'4 guys, it takes some time, sometimes, to get there, but there's no guarantee he will get there, in terms of the way he processes the game, and rotates and is in the right spots and all that."

"His body is gonna be the big thing. Can he ever learn to sit down and cover ground better in the halfcourt? It's easier said than done, and this is what the NBA guys do, they hire the very best people from all over the world. If they can help him figure out that part of things, then he's got a chance to be really good."

The NBL is growing as a hotbed for NBA prospects, but there is still a world of difference between the two leagues.

The potential is there for both Olbrich and Zikarsky, but it remains to be seen if either will be able to play at a high level in the NBA.

The second round of the NBA Draft begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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