Interview: Projected Lottery Pick Rocco Zikarsky Discusses NBA Future, Athletic Lineage and Insane Diet
I had the opportunity to sit down with projected 2025 lottery pick Rocco Zikarsky to discuss his NBA future, athletic lineage and his insane diet.
I was fortunate enough to have the chance to chat it up with projected 2025 lottery pick, Rocco Zikarsky. Check it out below!
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Draftstack. My name is Nic Thomas. I'm joined today by Rocco Zikarsky, the youngest NBL next star in program history. Rocco, thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Right. Great. Well, I mean, I just want to sort of start off by touching a bit on your younger years. Your father was an Olympic swimmer, Olympic medal winning swimmer, and your mother was an iron woman. Other than just incredible genes, how do you feel like that may have helped you, I guess, in your journey towards the NBA?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, I mean, I think having not only competitive parents, but sporting parents, it definitely helps with development not only in life, but with basketball as well. They didn't play basketball growing up. They didn't really know what it was about, but because they had that professional sporting background, they were able to help me get through the little nuances of the game, whether that's criticism online or whether that's waking up early in the morning, they've lived it before. So having a sporting parenting, yeah, really helps.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
There's been some discussion around your unconventional diet, I guess, and there's rumours that you are consuming around 5,400 calories a day. Right. And obviously that's contributed to your great physique. Walk me through what you eat day by day.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, I mean, for me, in the morning I'm having an omelette and a smoothie, and then, yeah, obviously you've got some snacks throughout the day. A main meal would be a fried rice, a pasta, a roast dinner, and then that's really it. Game days, it does get pretty, you spend half the day eating. But yeah, it's a full on diet, but it's really helped me be able to put on this amount of weight and muscle at this time has been awesome.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
What's your snack of choice?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I love a good oak plus little protein chocolate milk. Yeah. I go with that. Got to go with that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, moving on now to sort of later on and bit more closer to the present day, I guess in July you were selected to the 22 man roster for the Australian Olympic team. Obviously you weren't selected to play in the games, which is probably expected given your young age, but what would you feel like you were able to pick up from the NBA guys on that roster? You got Dyson Daniels, you got Josh Giddy or Patty Mills, really, really good NBA players on that roster.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, I mean, I think for me, just seeing the way that they go about daily habits and the way that they carry themselves in the media, in public, and even in training, especially I think Patty Mills is probably the most professional person I've ever met, and that's the way he's been able to extend his career for years, just the way he acts, and he's not bigger than anyone else on the boomers. Everyone's equal. It's a big, everyone's got to pull their weight and witnessing that in practise and being able to be part of that environment was definitely a big blessing.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
For sure. And I mean around that same time, you also announced that you were going to be joining the MBL Next Stars programme for going college. Can you walk me through that decision?
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Yeah, I mean, for me, I thought that a professional league would benefit me best. I was really excited to, after having those conversations with Liam, Santa Maria, with Jeremy Loller, I don't know, they just really dragged me in. I've seen the results of the likes of Josh Giddy who got drafted really high. Playing in that professional environment earlier I think really helps out. And yeah, I mean, I got to play in front of where I grew up and I get to play in a professional environment, and I think that was invaluable
Speaker 1 (04:25):
For sure. And how has that experience been since that moment for you, right? I mean, what do you think that they've been able to do for you that maybe the college game?
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, I mean, for me, there's a lot of ups and downs. This definitely isn't a development league. You have to earn your minutes, you have to practise well to play. But I think the biggest thing I got out of it was, again, not the professionalism of the players. These guys are fighting for a job every week. It's a short season, it's 29 games. Every game matters. So you're going out there. There's no easy wins in the NBL. There's no easy wins. And also just the mentorship from some of Australia's greats like Aaron Bains and being able to connect with Luke Longley and Andrew Bog. Having those connections from being an NBL player has been great.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
On the topic of fighting for minutes, I guess there's been some discussions around your minutes, so you haven't played over 15 minutes since I think September last year. Is there a plan in place or is there any sort of discussions around with the coaching staff ramping up towards the back end of the year?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I mean, like I said, it's a very competitive league and the only way you're going to earn minutes is through performing in practise and performing on the courts. So for me, I don't think it's really a conversation of, oh, we're going to ramp you up, we're going to pull you back. If you're playing well, you're going to play minutes. So for me, it's just keeping that red line and riding the waves not too high, never too low, and just stay with it. My time will come when it comes.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Hundred percent. I mean, you spoke earlier about adding some weight, right? And that that's kind of what your diet's for. Is there a certain weight goal or a certain level of strength you're trying to hit? Is there a number or are you just purely on that track?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, I mean, for me right now, I don't want to go too heavy. Maybe 119, 120 kilos. I'm not sure what that is in pounds. That's the absolute max that I would go. Right now I'm sitting at around 1 16, 1 17, and yeah, I don't think there's much more that I'd want to go yet until I build that maturity and that comes with age, and then I'll be able to put on a little more weight.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
You just spoke on not wanting to get put on too much weight and trying to maintain, I guess some mobility, I assume. How do you weigh up those two? What do you view as more important? Do you view one is significantly more important than important than the other, or are you trying to find a middle ground?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I think for me that mobility is probably one of the things that I don't want to lose by gaining weight. And yeah, I think for me, being able to be mobile and being able to move on the floor as someone who's seven foot three, that's the most important part is guarding out on the perimeter, being able to slide with the guards, but then also the weight side, boxing out, hitting bodies. I don't want to be able to get moved too easily either.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
For sure. And I should saw earlier in the off season or in the off season, you're in the states a little bit working in particular on your perimeter shooting. So how much of a focus is that for you?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Yeah, I mean that sort of comes in addition to all the work I do in the paint, making sure my touch is still there. Obviously a three point shot is nice. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's definitely something I've been working at. I want to be able to stretch the floor in my career. I don't want to be the guy that making guard from the keyway, so I want to be able to create spacing for my teammates and I want to eventually be a threat from outside.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
For sure, for sure. And what else did you get the chance to work on? I guess over the off season?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, off season was huge for me in terms of just getting over there, seeing what the pre-draft was like. I had a couple of other guys at my agency that were going to the draught, so being able to work out with them was great. It was a big, again, just building muscle, getting stronger, getting fitter, working on those little nitpicky skills that you don't have time to work on during the season. So for me it was just keep on tracking, on working on footwork, working on ball handling, shooting, and just getting stronger in general.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Right, right. And I mean, I assume that sort of follows through into the season. I mean, is there any goals you have over the next 10 months when the draught rolls around in terms of your personal development? Is there any goals there? Anything you want to reach?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I think for me it's very broad. I obviously want to be a great rebounder. I want to be able to finish around the rim at a really high clip. Yeah, I mean, they're not very huge goals, but I think their goals that you can just keep on improving on and there's really shooting a high clip from around the rim, you don't stop getting better at it until you're shooting a hundred percent. So for me it's just those daily habits and keep on trekking on with those little things and they'll compound pretty quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Right, right. Well, I mean, let's say 10 months from now, right? What's the vision for you? Are you trying to hear your name called, I guess hopefully, obviously at the end of the season? Or are you maybe someone who looks to spend maybe a bit more time back in Australia?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, for me, I'm definitely pulling towards the 2025 NBA draught. I want to be a lottery pick or a first rounder. Yeah, I don't really, right now I'm not really looking at coming back for another season. If that changes throughout the year, it changes. But right now I've got my goals set on first, winning games for the team and putting myself in the best position come draught night.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
How important is that draught position to you? Right. I speak to some people and they don't value it at all, but others are very competitive and they want to have that one over the next person along. Are you looking at draught boards throughout the year, seeing where you are ranked, seeing how you match up against other players?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Not really. Not unless someone's been sending it to me or a coach or a friend has come up to me and said, oh, you see you're there. I try and stay off that sort of side of the media just because I don't want it to crowd around what my goal is right now, and that's just getting better every day. I don't really want it to be a distraction to me, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
And how do you feel like you would fit into the NBA's very unique style of play?
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, I mean, for me, I think I am a lob threat. I'm a rim defender. Yeah, my role game is pretty good. I see myself fitting in sort of that I hang my hat on defence and that's where I want to be. Obviously it's a little different with the three in the key rule in the NBA, but yeah, I mean, just being a hard worker is probably the best way to describe it.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Right, right. Well, I ask this question to everyone. Let's say 10 months from now you're sitting in office. I'm an NBA executive, an NBA scout, whoever, and this is your pre-draft workout. I'm a complete idiot. I haven't done any scouting at all. What's your pitch? What do you bring to my team?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I think for me, like I said before, I'm a rim defender. I roll hard. I'm a lob threat. I play above the rim a lot. Yeah, I can work well with the guards in the pick and roll. My pick and roll defence has been getting better all year. I've got length, hopefully I can play out on the perimeter. That's sort of my pitch, I guess.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Right. Great. Well, I mean, that's all I got for you today. So thank you for your time and hopefully we can chat it up again later in the year.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Awesome. Thanks Nic.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Thanks for your time.