Rocco Zikarsky Declares for 2025 NBA Draft After 2 Years in Australia's NBL

Australian center Rocco Zikarsky declared for the NBA after two seasons in the NBL Next Stars program, he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

Zikarsky is currently in the United States to prepare for the draft, according to Givony.

The 7-foot-3 center averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds, adding 0.6 blocks and 0.3 steals per game, while averaging 11.8 minutes in a second NBL season cut short by a knee injury.

He was projected as the No. 55 pick on the latest NBA mock draft by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

Zikarsky told Givony in 2023 that he had been recruited by colleges including Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan, USC and Arizona, as well as the G League Ignite program, before deciding to join the NBL.

After being limited by an ankle issue during his first season in the NBL, Zikarsky was shut down early with a knee problem last season.

Wasserman wrote that Zikarsky's size, NBL experience and age of 18 years old could get him draft attention despite the injury and his relatively low production numbers.

"Certain teams may be willing to stay patient and see second-round value in a 7'2" 18-year-old who gets you second-chance points and still has intriguing defensive upside. But his image and projection have taken hits this year," Wasserman wrote.

The NBA draft early entry deadline was April 26. Zikarsky submitted his name before then, he told Givony.

Washington Wizards forward/center Alex Sarr became the highest-drafted NBL Next Star in program history when he was drafted with the No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft.

Zikarsky may have needed another season outside the NBA in order to earn a projected status as a first-round pick, but he could still look to follow in Sarr's footsteps by eventually going from an NBL player to NBA starter.