Iowa Wolves 2025-26

[Q-is-here]

First game tonight. I peeked in on the action and was surprised to see that Rocco wasn't starting. He came off the bench for a fairly brief stint and looked OK - drew a lot of fouls - and then sat before the quarter even ended.

One thing I noticed is that the Wolves opponent, the Cleveland Charge, was deploying a full-court press the entire first quarter and completely overwhelming our squad, so this trend of pressing is seeping into all aspects of the NBA.

[Q-is-here]

After being down big in the first quarter, the Iowa Wolves came storming back and hung 137 points on the Charge. Of the 2-way guys, Freeman had the most impressive game with 18 points and 12 boards. He started at Center and Rocco came off the bench.

[Lipoli390]

First game tonight. I peeked in on the action and was surprised to see that Rocco wasn't starting. He came off the bench for a fairly brief stint and looked OK - drew a lot of fouls - and then sat before the quarter even ended.

One thing I noticed is that the Wolves opponent, the Cleveland Charge, was deploying a full-court press the entire first quarter and completely overwhelming our squad, so this trend of pressing is seeping into all aspects of the NBA.

I’d like to see our Wolves do more full-court pressing with Ant, Jaden, Clark or Dilly.

[rapsuperstar31]

I caught pat of the first quarter before the Wolves games started, and thought they looked pretty bad to start the game. It's a good sign that they got it together and won the game. 15 pts and 2 blocks for Rocco is good in 18 minutes, but I'd like to see him really work on his rebounding as he had just 3.

[Q-is-here]

Iowa won again tonight, with Tristen Newton leading the way with 35 points on 9-14 shooting from 3, which is pretty crazy considering that he's historically not a very good 3-point shooter.

I watched a couple of Rocco's stints and they were.....OK-ish. His sheer size compared to everyone else did result in a number of neverminds, but he's generally slow to react and fairly soft and weak around the basket. The fact he's a part-time player coming off the bench for our G-League affiliate should tell you everything you need to know on his near-term prospects with the big league squad.

Jules Bernard is semi-interesting.

[rapsuperstar31]

Charlie Walton
@CharlieWaltonMN
Rocco Zikarsky tonight in his third G-League game:

— 24 points
— 7 rebounds
— 11-18 FG, 2-3 3P
— 25 minutes

Also Tristen Newton with 24 11 and 5 steals. He's been playing well to start the Iowa season.

[Q-is-here]

Charlie Walton
@CharlieWaltonMN
Rocco Zikarsky tonight in his third G-League game:

— 24 points
— 7 rebounds
— 11-18 FG, 2-3 3P
— 25 minutes

Also Tristen Newton with 24 11 and 5 steals. He's been playing well to start the Iowa season.

It was also his first start for the Iowa squad, as he came off the bench for Freeman in the first two games. And even though Iowa lost the game, Rocco was a +1 in his minutes, so obviously the team was holding their own and not just bleeding points when he was on the floor.

I've overall been pretty impressed with Rocco's offensive instincts. He does have pretty soft hands/touch and doesn't rush anything. Unfortunately, his reaction time and small area quickness defensively is sorely lacking. But he is still young and growing into a huge body, so may that improves over time.

As for Newton, it took 24 shots to generate those 24 points and he also turned it over 5 times. I like Newton, but given his age, he doesn't have as much time to work out the wrinkles in his game if he wants a career in the NBA.

[60WinTim]

Charlie Walton
@CharlieWaltonMN
Rocco Zikarsky tonight in his third G-League game:

— 24 points
— 7 rebounds
— 11-18 FG, 2-3 3P
— 25 minutes

Also Tristen Newton with 24 11 and 5 steals. He's been playing well to start the Iowa season.

It was also his first start for the Iowa squad, as he came off the bench for Freeman in the first two games. And even though Iowa lost the game, Rocco was a +1 in his minutes, so obviously the team was holding their own and not just bleeding points when he was on the floor.

I've overall been pretty impressed with Rocco's offensive instincts. He does have pretty soft hands/touch and doesn't rush anything. Unfortunately, his reaction time and small area quickness defensively is sorely lacking. But he is still young and growing into a huge body, so may that improves over time.

As for Newton, it took 24 shots to generate those 24 points and he also turned it over 5 times. I like Newton, but given his age, he doesn't have as much time to work out the wrinkles in his game if he wants a career in the NBA.

I just finished watching that game. Very entertaining. Rocco took some friendly fire in the temple late in the game, but did come back after a trip to the locker room. I think Rocco started because Freeman was not on the bench. I think I saw "illness" as the reason. Interestingly, Rocco did not start the 2nd half, but still played. I've been intrigued with the idea of playing Rocco and Freeman together, but I don't know if that has happened, yet. It seems it might go against the coach's philosophy of playing with a very high pace.

I really like the prospects of Rocco's future. He needs time to mature, grow into his body, and gain experience. The question is whether he'll be able to contribute next year, or in 2 years. I suspect he will be up later in the season to get reps with the big club, especially when the G-league team is off on an extended break. When I watch him play, I see him developing into one of two players: Brook Lopez, or Robin Lopez. Either one is fine. Hopefully it is Brook.

[60WinTim]

Iowa is in action tonight, too. Freeman is back in the starting lineup, bumping out Rocco. Freeman is wearing a mask, which I don't remember him donning in his last game...

[Q-is-here]

Charlie Walton
@CharlieWaltonMN
Rocco Zikarsky tonight in his third G-League game:

— 24 points
— 7 rebounds
— 11-18 FG, 2-3 3P
— 25 minutes

Also Tristen Newton with 24 11 and 5 steals. He's been playing well to start the Iowa season.

It was also his first start for the Iowa squad, as he came off the bench for Freeman in the first two games. And even though Iowa lost the game, Rocco was a +1 in his minutes, so obviously the team was holding their own and not just bleeding points when he was on the floor.

I've overall been pretty impressed with Rocco's offensive instincts. He does have pretty soft hands/touch and doesn't rush anything. Unfortunately, his reaction time and small area quickness defensively is sorely lacking. But he is still young and growing into a huge body, so may that improves over time.

As for Newton, it took 24 shots to generate those 24 points and he also turned it over 5 times. I like Newton, but given his age, he doesn't have as much time to work out the wrinkles in his game if he wants a career in the NBA.

I just finished watching that game. Very entertaining. Rocco took some friendly fire in the temple late in the game, but did come back after a trip to the locker room. I think Rocco started because Freeman was not on the bench. I think I saw "illness" as the reason. Interestingly, Rocco did not start the 2nd half, but still played. I've been intrigued with the idea of playing Rocco and Freeman together, but I don't know if that has happened, yet. It seems it might go against the coach's philosophy of playing with a very high pace.

I really like the prospects of Rocco's future. He needs time to mature, grow into his body, and gain experience. The question is whether he'll be able to contribute next year, or in 2 years. I suspect he will be up later in the season to get reps with the big club, especially when the G-league team is off on an extended break. When I watch him play, I see him developing into one of two players: Brook Lopez, or Robin Lopez. Either one is fine. Hopefully it is Brook.

Yeah, he is a pure drop Center, as he's very slow and just doesn't recover quickly enough to hard-hedge on screens and play a "fly around" type defense. The strength will come with time, but not sure how much he can improve his quickness.

I just watched a bit of the game tonight and he put in a good first stint off the bench.