Raptors 2025 Draft target compared to mountainous NBA center

The Raptors should look at Rocco Zikarsky

Rocco Zikarsky is a towering presence on a basketball court, standing at 7'3" with extremely long arms ready to swat shots into the stands. Unlike Alex Sarr, who was a French big man playing in the NBL, Zikarsky is an Australian native, and will almost certainly be a fixture on the national team in the years to come.

Zikarsky plays for the Brisbane Bullets and is expected to hold a significant role this year, which will only draw more NBA scouts to Australia to watch him play. He is not only a shot-blocking menace, but his length and athleticism make him a weapon in the pick-and-roll game and putting back missed shots.

One thing scouts will be looking for is to see how his touch around the basket develops when he cannot simply dunk it home, and whether he can put the ball on the deck and drive toward the hoop when needed. It seems obvious that he is going to be a strong defensive force, but how his offensive game develops will determine whether he is a Top-10 pick or fades back into the middle of the first round.

The Toronto Raptors certainly need to shore up the center position; they go into this season with Jakob Poeltl entrenched as the starter, but behind him is the declining Chris Boucher, a porous defender in Kelly Olynyk, and a pair of late-round rookies in Branden Carlson and Ulrich Chomche. It would not be surprising to see them go for a center in next year's draft.

Who does Zikarsky project to be in the NBA? Which current NBA player best matches his style of play? The answer may be found in the mountains.