With the 23rd-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected Ante Zizic, a traditional center standing 6'11 and hailing from Croatia.
NBA Draft 2016: Celtics draft Ante Zizic with pick No. 23
The Celtics took the Croatian big man late in the first round.
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Zizic may not be well-known for casual fans, but he’s been on the radar of NBA teams for years. Zizic started playing professionally when he was only 16 years old, and his brother Andrija Zizic, 17 years older than him, was a star in Europe for more than a decade. Although he may not come to the NBA immediately, he has the tools to succeed once he does choose to arrive.
Although many European big men who come over have quirks to their games, Zizic is a prototypical big man who can be expected to dominate the interior. At 6’11 with a 7’4 wingspan, weight 240 pounds, all of Zizic’s game is centered around the basket.
His athleticism isn’t exceptional, but it’s certainly above average: he moves well and his effort is constant, both running the floor and working around the basket. He’s physical for his size, too. In a 21-point game last summer, all of his points come as he works around the rim, where his length and quickness help him stand out.
Zizic doesn’t pass exceptionally well, and all the defensive bona fides that most young players have entering the league -- footwork, defensive schemes, pick-and-roll coverage -- will need to be taught to him. There’s question about his overall court awareness, too. He has hit mid-range jumpers from time to time in the Adriatic League, but that’s an exception. A vast majority of his play revolves around what he does at the rim on both ends of the floor, and that’s where he will make his career in the NBA.
Nothing about Zizic indicates he'll be anything more than a solid starting center, but for where he was selected, there's nothing wrong with that. The Adriatic League where Zizic played mostly recently has produced a number of solid big men in the past decade, including Nikola Pekovic, Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. That should alleviate concerns among NBA teams that Zizic's production as a 19-year-old wouldn't directly translate.
“I am a type of modern center,” Zizic told DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony last February. “I run the floor very well. I can finish with strong dunks. In defense I can close down the paint. I have the ability to block shots, collect rebounds. Effort is something you must have. It’s like other basketball skills. It is something natural. I was born with it.”
Even with the game evolving, centers like Zizic are still necessary. He may never make an All-Star team, but there’s clearly a place for him in the NBA.
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