I haven't judged him yet. He looks out of shape to me. Gets visibly winded after only a couple of minutes on the court. We aren't going to see what he is as a player until he gets in the workout room for a while.
When he's fresh, I've seen some things that I like. Active in the paint and on the glass, runs the court on both ends. Willing screener, good enough hands to be a useful P&R big. Willing defender, seems to have solid awareness on that end even if his feet lag behind right now. Rudimentary post game reminds me of Perk - will score a few baskets due to his size if required, but very mechanical and none too quick. I doubt he'll ever be a major offensive option. And I expected that.
Footwork needs work. I've seen multiple instances when he tries to make a quick change of direction - especially on defense, trying to switch from the perimeter back to the paint - and trips over his feet. That said, he's actually more of a deterrent around the rim than I expected. He's a big dude, and his length will change a lot of shots even when he's a bit out of position.
I don't see high upside in him, and he has a lot of work to do to be a useful NBA player. But his physical tools and skillset are something we sorely need, and he's probably going to be thrown in the fire this year before he's ready for it. We don't have the depth to let him sit unless we make some significant changes to the roster. It's up to him to improve into a contributing player as the year goes on.
Topic: Is Zizic what you expected? (Read 15277 times)