Why a 220cm teenage NBA prospect is being held back

Teenage basketball sensation Rocco Zikarsky might have seen more of the bench than the court but he is being forced to earn his place among the elite, according to three-time NBL champion Mitch Norton.

Across the Brisbane Bullets’ opening six games this season, the 18-year-old NBA prospect has averaged just under 11 minutes per outing, including only seven in Saturday’s loss to the JackJumpers.

Zikarsky has already made his Australia debut, but his limited action in the Bullets’ lacklustre season has confused many fans, given the X-factor he brings as one of the competition’s tallest players, at 220 centimetres.

Rocco Zikarsky celebrates with the Bullets.Credit: Getty Images

However, Norton pointed to the form of fellow centre Tyrell Harrison as the main reason for Zikarsky’s lack of game time.

Harrison has averaged 12.7 points and 8.8 rebounds this season, and if his younger teammate were to earn minutes, he would need to take them from Harrison through performance, not potential.

Speaking to this masthead from Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School as part of the Blitz school program, Boomers veteran Norton said Zikarsky was “obviously super-talented”.

“But we also have Tyrell, who I believe is one of the best centres in the NBL,” he said.

“It is tough for Roc to find minutes, but he’s doing a great job at training and winning at training, and that’s only going to translate to the games. We all know what he’s capable of, and he does as well, so it will only be a matter of time before it clicks.

“[The NBA] is a big carrot dangling in front of his face, but he is process-driven, which is something we really like about him.

“His number-one goal is to win here with the Bullets before moving on. He needs to be at his best to go on to better things.”

Rocco Zikarsky has been tipped for NBA honours in the near future.Credit: Russell Freeman/Getty Images

Zikarsky’s chances of being picked up in the 2025 NBA Draft could fade the longer he stays on the sidelines. In the 2024-25 campaign, he averaged 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

However, his Bullets teammate, American guard Casey Prather, suggested patience would pay dividends for the rising star.

Prather said it was easy to forget, given all the hype, that Zikarsky was only at the start of his career.

“There’s no ceiling, the only thing is going to be him and how hard he can take it on, and how patient he is,” he said.

“Things don’t always go your way, but as long as you put in the hard work, eventually things pay off.

“He knows he has a long career ahead. NBA teams are salivating over him right now.”

The Bullets will travel to Cairns to take on the Taipans on November 2.

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