For the first time all season, Rocco Zikarsky was in uniform for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Spending all year with the Iowa Wolves of the G League, Zikarsky was active for the Timberwolves with Rudy Gobert suspended and Naz Reid missing his first game of the season.
With 3:53 remaining in their game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, and with Minnesota trailing by 25 points, Chris Finch emptied the bench, which included bringing in Zikarsky. In his first NBA outing, the 19-year-old Australian tied Randy Breuer as the tallest player in franchise history at a listed height of 7-foot-3.
Zikarsky makes regular season debut on Sunday
Nearly eight months after being selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Zikarsky finally got his first taste of NBA regular season action on Sunday. On a two-way deal all season, he has spent all his time this year in the G League prior to Sunday’s outing against the Sixers.
While Zikarsky didn’t score in his NBA debut, he at least grabbed his first career rebound.
There have been 15 players in NBA history who have been listed at a taller height than Zikarsky, but none of them ever appeared in a game for the Timberwolves. Prior to Zikarsky, Breuer had been the only Minnesota player listed at 7-foot-3 to play for the franchise.
An 11-year NBA veteran, Breuer joined the Wolves on January 4, 1990, when he was acquired along with a second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Brad Lohaus and a second-round pick. Breuer would go on to play the rest of that season and the following two with Minnesota.
In 191 regular season games (116 starts) with the Timberwolves, Breuer posted averages of 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. Exactly a month after he was acquired by Minnesota, he scored a career-high 40 points in an outing against the Golden State Warriors.
Zikarsky has been productive in the G League
Coming into the season, Zikarsky wasn’t expected to have a role with the Timberwolves, but it was fun seeing him get into a game (even if it came in garbage time in what was a blowout loss).
The second round pick has made 34 regular season/Tip-Off Tournament appearances for the Iowa Wolves this season. The big man is averaging 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 23.9 minutes per contest. Zikarsky is shooting 53.0% from the field, 32.1% from beyond the arc, and 76.6% from the foul line.