Zikarsky shines in Wolves' pre-season debut

• Rocco Zikarsky had nine points, eight rebounds and one steal as the Timberwolves beat Denver 126-116 in their first pre-season game
• Zikarsky was selected with pick 45 in the 2025 NBA Draft and signed a two-way deal with Minnesota in July
• The 19-year-old Sunshine Coast product spent the past two seasons as an NBL Next Star with the Brisbane Bullets

"Looked the part of a future NBA contributor."

That's what Sports Illustrated NBA reporter Derek Harper wrote after Aussie big man and former NBL Next Star Rocco Zikarsky's first pre-season outing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Sunshine Coast product impressed as the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 126-116, recording nine points and eight rebounds in his 13 minutes. Zikarsky was also a +4 in his time on the court.

Zikarsky and fellow rookie big man, No.17 pick in this year's NBA Draft Joan Beringer, both showed the future of Minnesota's big man stocks were bright as four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert progresses towards the latter end of his career.

"Minnesota returns plenty of the talent that helped them reach the Western Conference Finals last season, making their new additions in Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky the primary subject of the game," Harper wrote in Sports Illustrated following Minnesota's win.

"It certainly helped that both played well in their essential debuts for the Wolves’ main roster."

Harper also references Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards' comments about the pair during media day.

“I think the surprise of everybody is gonna be the two rookies we just drafted,” Edwards said at media day.

“Those two guys are gonna be pretty damn good.”

Harper said while it was just one preseason game, "Edwards is proven correct so far".

Beringer had 14 points in 22 minutes in 6-from-8 from the field while Zikarsky, who spent the previous two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets, went 3-from-8 from the field.

"Zikarsky wasn’t quite as efficient... but still looked the part of a future NBA contributor," Harper wrote.

"The two rookie centers certainly weren’t without their faults... Zikarsky’s foot speed is still highly questionable. But the Wolves couldn’t have asked for much better preseason debuts, all things considered.

"Both Beringer and Zikarsky were obviously drafted given just how impactful Rudy Gobert's time with the team has been. And while there's no guarantee either can frequent the rotation in Year 1, a strong preseason start is certainly a step in that direction."

Zikarsky signed a two-way deal with the Timberwolves in July after being selected with pick 45 in this year's draft.

The Timberwolves' next pre-season game is against last year's runners-up in the Indiana Pacers on on Wednesday and they will start the regular season against Portland on October 23.