The Minnesota Timberwolves may have hoped Rocco Zikarsky could flash enough in summer league to hint at a bigger role, but his first outing as a sophomore player looked a lot more like a reminder of how raw he still is.
Zikarsky, the 45th pick in last year’s draft, finished Thursday’s game with nine points on 3-for-11 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and four turnovers. For a 7-foot-3 big man with some floor-stretching potential, that line doesn’t exactly scream immediate help - especially with Minnesota’s frontcourt looking thinner than it was expected to be.
That’s not to say the reaction should be panic. Zikarsky was only 18 when he was drafted, and he has always been viewed as a project. But if anyone around the organization was wondering whether he might push for a surprise rotation spot or even a standard contract, this game was a pretty blunt answer: not yet.
The tape matched the box score. He forced jumpers, looked awkward when he put the ball on the floor, didn’t show much touch near the rim and seemed to wear down at times.
Defensively, he wasn’t at the level you’d want from someone with his size. Playing alongside Joan Beringer for much of the night may have complicated things, but the bigger takeaway was simple - he struggled in both process and production.
There was some reason for optimism in the G League this past season, where Zikarsky averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Even so, the path to an NBA role still looks narrow, and it likely runs through his shooting. That’s the skill that could eventually make him useful, but it remains very unfinished; he hit just 30.8 of his 3-pointers in the G League.
For Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves, the appeal is obvious. Hitting on a raw mid-second-round big can change a roster, and Connelly has a famous draft success story from his Denver days with Nikola Jokic. But players with this kind of profile rarely become immediate contributors on a competitive team.
Zikarsky may still get there someday. Thursday just made clear that Minnesota will need patience before that vision has a chance to become real.
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Chris Finch has made the assignment clear: Beringer has to stay disciplined defensively and avoid getting bogged down by fouls. His summer league showing suggested he is already taking a step in that direction, with strong production at both ends and a cleaner approach on the defensive side, but the Wolves still need to know that the aggression can be controlled when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Joan Beringer Just Gave Wolves Fans Real Hope For Next Season
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What stood out just as much was the way Beringer handled the details. He stayed on the floor with better discipline, committed only two fouls, and showed a more comfortable touch when putting the ball on the deck and attacking the rim. It was only one summer league game, but for a player whose path to a larger role is still being sorted out, it was the sort of performance that can make a team and its fans start imagining what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Suddenly Have A Summer League Guard They Can't Ignore
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For Pullin, the performance only sharpens the stakes of a summer that could change his career path. He is still working from a two-way deal and trying to turn strong flashes into something more permanent, and nights like this are the kind that force a front office to take a closer look. Even with the Wolves roster picture still taking shape, he has made it harder to treat him like just another camp body. [Read more 🡒]