FRESH off being picked up in the 2025 NBA Draft in Chicago last month, Australian big man Rocco Zikarsky put together his best performance of the Summer League in Las Vegas over the weekend.

Zikarsky was acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves with pick 45 of the 2025 intake, capping off an impressive journey to the top level following a two-year stint in the NBL with the Next Stars program. There, he made a name for himself with his impressive physical traits and immense potential in the frontcourt.

Throughout the Summer League, Zikarsky had been coming off the bench for the Timberwolves, playing limited minutes and putting a basket or two per game, showing promise in his small court time and seemingly drawing plenty of love from his star teammate in Anthony Edwards, who cheered him on from the sidelines.

However, it was during Minnesota’s clash with the Houston Rockets over the weekend that Zikarsky took a big step forward, making the most of his playing time and showing that he could be worth some minutes at NBA level sooner rather than later.

Houston Rockets (104) def. Minnesota Timberwolves (101)

Rocco Zikarsky – 13 minutes, eight points, one rebound, one assist, two blocks

Although the Timberwolves ended up falling by three points, Zikarsky still managed to impress off the bench for his side, closing out a solid Summer League performance with his best outing of the tournament.

He entered the game midway through the first quarter with the Timberwolves leading by double-digits and off to the perfect start. However, it was not a good start to the match for the Aussie, who committed an early foul and turned the ball over shortly after, before returning to the bench in a disappointing couple of minutes.

Zikarsky returned to the fold to start the second frame, and was able to impact the game in a much more positive fashion. He recorded his first block of the game when he swatted an attempted layup from the opposition, showing just how strong his paint protection can be thanks to his remarkable wingspan. The big man almost recorded another block just seconds later, but it was ruled to be a defensive goaltend so the basket counted.

He hit the scoreboard for the first time with a made free throw a couple of minutes later, and it seemed to spark a bit of a scoring run. Zikarsky showed his composure with ball in hand on the drive as he finished the layup through contact and converted the and-one at the charity stripe. He then recorded another block inside the paint as he sent back another layup to send a clear message to the Rockets that it is not worth trying to score inside when he is in the vicinity.

After starting the third frame on the pine, he was injected into the game a couple of minutes into the second half and had an immediate impact, combining well with the team’s guards and getting on the end of a nice cutting dunk. He even got involved on the passing front, finding his teammate with a nice dish off for a cutting dunk, showcasing his strong court vision as well.

After being subbed off for another couple of minutes, Zikarsky returned and physically imposed himself in the low block almost immediately, forcing the opposition to foul him, before heading to the free throw line and nailing both attempts.

Although he returned to the fray in the fourth term, he was not able to have as much of an impact, instead spending most of the term on the pine as the Timberwolves were overrun. Although Zikarsky is certainly raw as a prospect, but his performance against Houston suggests that he may be able to have an impact sooner than expected.