Rocco Zikarsky's Path to Making Wolves Rotation is Clear (But That Doesn't Mean it's Easy)

Just over two years ago, Rocco Zikarsky was considered by some draft experts to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. At worst the thought was that the then-17-year-old center would be a tantalizing enough player to warrant a selection in the second round. NBA Draft On SI gave him a late lottery grade and had this to say on the prospect.

“He has the baseline skillset to make an impact for his team immediately as a rookie in the league, especially when it comes to rim protection.”

Unfortunately for Zikarsky, the Australian regular season happened, and the Boomers opted to limit him spot minutes on the veteran-led team. His shooting failed to catch fire and the defense was never on full display as Zikarsky saw his draft stock slide into being a second-round draft pick. This is where the Wolves decided to take a chance.

After one season in the Wolves system, Zikarsky has an outside shot of earning serious playing time.

Zikarsky intrigue hasn't disappeared despite struggles

Zikasky's game is unique, and therein lies the path to playing time. At 7’4", the 19-year-old rookie got invaluable reps in the G League, honing his game. He scored 15.8 points per game with an efficient 53.4% field goal percentage. He grabbed 9.8 rebounds and recorded 2.8 blocks per contest.

On offense, he was a consistent threat in the pick-and-roll with Zyon Pullin, and on defense he was the anchor of an 18-10 Iowa Wolves team. Zikarsky proved in his 27.4 minutes per game that his slender frame could hold up to a significant workload.

Yet the production in the G League didn’t translate to time with the main roster. Zikarsky played just 36 minutes for the Wolves the entirety of his rookie season. He did make the most of his minutes statistically, scoring 14 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. When he was on the court, though, the eye test didn’t match those numbers.

Zikarsky struggled mightily in drop coverage. When he would drop too far down to the rim, guards would rise up and shoot the open look from midrange or three as Zikarsky would struggle to recover back to the perimeter.

When Zikarsky would guard too high, he wasn’t agile enough to close down passing lanes or cut off a driving guard with a full head of steam. It’s an area of growth that Zikarsky spoke about after the Wolves' 111-84 loss to Portland in Summer League.

“I’ve never played this high of drops(drop coverage) before, trying to get my feet above the three and detour those perimeter players is something we’ve been working on all offseason… I caught myself being blown by a couple times, caught myself being too low a few times as well. So for me, that’s definitely a learning curve”

Zikarsky's Gobert impression key to rotation spot

For Zikarsky, this is his best path to getting minutes: developing his technique in the drop coverage so that he can play effective minutes by mimicking the same scheme the Wolves use with Rudy Gobert on the court.

The first step to that is understanding the drop coverage spacing and how to use his length to affect opposing players. That could be more than just learning a new technique for Zikarsky, however. To some extent it will be about reprogramming his instincts.

“I’ve been playing FIBA(rules) basketball since I picked up a ball, so they have deep drops and everyone packs the paint. This is different to me but it’s a great challenge and something I’m working on every day to get better. It will get better as time goes on”

If Zikarsky's drop defense does get better, the impact he could have on the Wolves' future could be significant. With his shooting ability and size, he opens up new opportunities for floor spacing. Zikarsky and fellow 2025-26 rookie Joan Beringer could share the floor together, and he would be another young asset to a core group of players that are all under 26 and trending upward.

Zikarsky isn’t that far removed from being considered a lottery pick with limitless upside, but his best chance to display his potential for the Wolves is honing in on becoming an elite drop coverage defender.

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