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CrowderKeg wrote:
Elrod is Back wrote:This is from Bulpett's Herald article posted today:
There is every expectation that Ante Zizic, the No. 23 overall pick last June, will be a part of next season’s Celts. That he’ll be on a rookie scale contract is a bonus.
There was question whether the 6-foot-11 20-year-old would be able to handle the move from Croatia to tougher competition in Turkey, but the reports have been more than encouraging.
We checked in with former Celtic Gigi Datome, who is playing for another Turkish club, and, while there is obviously still work to do for such a young player, he believes Zizic is ready to contribute in the NBA.
“He is a big body who moves well for his size,” Gigi told the Herald. “Not very quick lateral movements, but he runs well the floor and he’s pretty quick on post moves. He has feeling for the game.”
Datome noted that Zizic’s new club, Darussafaka, is a solid Euroleague club coached by former Cavaliers leader David Blatt, and that Zizic “didn’t take too long to impact the team and to get into a new system. He plays hard and shows desire to compete. He has good feeling and position for offensive rebounds.
“I like him,” Gigi added. “He is very young, and usually big men develop later. He plays like an experienced player despite his young age. He is also reliable on free throw line.”
Datome took into account the clear step up in class from the European game to the NBA, but said, “I think he can be in the rotation. He can definitely play.”
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/02/bulpett_celtics_plan_to_go_big_or_sit_tight_at_nba_trade_deadline
CrowderKeg wrote:
neno wrote:Bender can shoot 3's, attack close outs, pass, dribble and move laterally to defend pic and roll better that Zizic. Zizic's lateral speed defending pic and roll concern me as much as his ability to stretch floor with shooting so to open lanes for penetration ( Jaylen, Isaiah etc). I like Zizic but Bender has a higher ceiling
Elrod is Back wrote:neno wrote:Bender can shoot 3's, attack close outs, pass, dribble and move laterally to defend pic and roll better that Zizic. Zizic's lateral speed defending pic and roll concern me as much as his ability to stretch floor with shooting so to open lanes for penetration ( Jaylen, Isaiah etc). I like Zizic but Bender has a higher ceiling
Yeah, I agree. But Bender has a low floor, and Zizic has a pretty high one. It also looks like Bender couldn't rebound his way out of a paper bag. He is boom or bust. Zizic, at worst, looks like a rotation caliber big at age 20 in the NBA. For bigs, more than other positions, it is work ethic and passion that counts for a lot, and Zizic has that in spades. NBA history is littered with immensely talented bigs who flopped because they did not love basketball or they were not especially competitive. You never hear that about an NBA player who is under 6-8. If you don't love the game and are not competitive you don't get that far.
NBA history is also filled with bigs without anywhere near as much talent as the flops-- flops like Joe Barry Carroll, William Bedford, Patrick O'Bryant, Hasheem Thabeet, the late Fab Melo, the list goes on and on. These less talented and athletically gifted players come from relative obscurity and go on to work their way into very impressive careers: Ben Wallace, Bill Laimbeer, Brad Miller, Ricky Mahorn, Marc Gasol, Kendrick Perkins, to name a few. These guys are dismal athletes next to the Joe Barry Carrolls that get drafted in the top 3 every year it seems. Zizic has enough talent to join that workaholic crew and if he does Celtics Nation will be filled with very happy campers.
No one should expect Zizic to be Hakeem Olajuwon, or Karl Towns or Joel Embiid for that matter. But he could be a solid quality starting-caliber player for a long time. We can use the Bkn picks and free agency to get the superstars.
CrowderKeg wrote:
Banks2Pierce wrote:CrowderKeg wrote:
Sad, but an early exit will get him to Maine earlier so not that sad.
Banks2Pierce wrote:CrowderKeg wrote:
Sad, but an early exit will get him to Maine earlier so not that sad.
Fruit Pastilles wrote:Big game today, Darussafaka are playing Real Madrid in Euroleague at 3 ET/8 GMT.
Not only will Zizic be up against arguably the best team in the competition, he'll be up against potential #1 pick in 2018, Luka Doncic.
I'll be watching.
jfs1000d wrote:Fruit Pastilles wrote:Big game today, Darussafaka are playing Real Madrid in Euroleague at 3 ET/8 GMT.
Not only will Zizic be up against arguably the best team in the competition, he'll be up against potential #1 pick in 2018, Luka Doncic.
I'll be watching.
Where can I watch?
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