Wait... so half the league has bonafide starter-caliber NBA centers readily available and yet I'm supposed to believe that there's "significant interest" around the league for some late 1st rounder (in what has been an exceptionally weak draft so far) who is putting up decent stats in Europe?
Is this kid legit? I'm seriously asking. I don't know what to make of stats I see from players overseas and the little highlight footage I watched of him made him look like a slow-footed stiff with no mid-range game who is just using his size to rebound and dunk on smaller opponents.
You're confusing him with your binkie Okafor.
Have a really hard time believing this Zizic kid is anywhere remotely near as talented as Okafor. If he was, I couldn't imagine he would have fallen any further than 3rd in the 2016 draft.
If it was known that he would be putting up the numbers he did in the Adriatic League as a 19 year old the following season, he would not have been drafted where he was.
Player A (19): 16.6 mins, 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, .8 blocks on 56% FG
Player B (19): 30.5 mins, 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks on 56.6% FG
Player C (19): 29.5 mins, 20 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks on 69.5% FG
Player A is Jusuf Nurkic, Player B is Nikola Jokic, Player C is Ante Zizic; all playing in the Adriatic League in their age-19 season. Based on the career trajectories of the other two players, we have a non-negligible amount of evidence that Zizic is going to be able to fill competent backup minutes next year, with a potentially much higher ceiling. If he continues to put up good Euroleague numbers, we'd have even more evidence.
He has appreciated significantly as an asset since being drafted, possibly to the tune of a late lottery pick. (We can use Nurkic as a guide here, he was drafted 16th by the Denver Nuggets after an age-19 season where he put up similar per 36 numbers in roughly half the minutes). I wouldn't be surprised that other teams are interested in his rights, particularly those who are kicking themselves for missing out on Nurkic and Jokic in the past.
Why are you ruining the pessimism around this draft pick with facts?
Topic: Keith Smith: There is significant interest in Ante Zizic around the league. (Read 9416 times)