Steal of the draft? Wolves' second-rounder was once a projected lottery pick

Minnesota could've left the second round with the steal of the draft.

May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Rocco Zikarsky talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago. | Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Most American basketball fans likely weren't very familiar with Timberwolves second-round pick Rocco Zikarsky when he was drafted 45th overall on Thursday night, but at one point in the pre-draft process, he was projected to go as high as the top 10.

A Bleacher Report 2025 NBA mock draft from respected draft insider Jonathan Wasserman on Aug. 12, 2024 slotted Zikarsky as the seventh overall pick.

"Offensively, touch around the basket and flashes of face-up drives create some optimism. But realistically, the draw to Zikarsky right now is on his interior defensive impact," Wasserman wrote.

Standing at 7-foot-4 with shoes, Zikarsky would be the third-tallest player in the NBA behind only Zach Edey and Victory Wembenyama. He doesn't turn 19 years old until next month, and he's still relatively new to basketball. All of it explains why he was viewed so highly heading into the 2024-25 season.

Hoop Intellect ranked him fourth overall in his August 2024 pre-draft rankings. Tankathon had him 11th last summer. Mock drafts from Sports Illustrated, givemesport.com, and others ranked him in the top 10 before the season.

Scouts likely thought they would see more from him in the 2024-25 season, but he averaged only 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Brisbane Bullets in the New Zealand Basketball League (NBL).

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Reports indicate that Zikarsky will be joining Minnesota on a two-way contract, which will likely involve a lot of time developing in the G League with the Iowa Wolves. He's deep on the frontcourt depth chart behind Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, Julius Randle, Luka Garza, and now Joan Beringer, so we probably won't see him in an NBA game anytime soon.

There's likely a long developmental road before Zikarsky finds his way into an NBA rotation, but he might have as much long-term potential as anyone selected in the second round of this year's draft.