Ivica Zubac Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Zizic, Freeland, Zubac

April 22nd, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Center Ante Zizic has agreed to a buyout with the Croatian club Cibona Zagreb that will allow him to join the NBA in 2016/17, agent Misko Raznatovic of BeoBasket relays (Twitter link). The 19-year-old, 6’11” Zizic is considered a first-round talent. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him No. 26, and he’s No. 22 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board. The center had been debating whether to go the draft-and-stash route or withdraw from the draft, according to international journalist David Pick, but Pick tells Hoops Rumors that Zizic doesn’t intend to pull out.

Here’s more from around the NBA and abroad:

Croatian big man Ivica Zubac wants to join the NBA immediately if he is drafted this June, as he told Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. “I have decided to enter NBA draft this year, and if I get drafted, I would like to go to the NBA right away. [The] NBA has always been my dream. I can’t wait to play there and prove myself on the biggest basketball stage in the world,” Zubac told Cauchi. The analysts are split on Zubac, with Givony pegging him 25th while Ford has him all the way down at 71st.
Former Providence point guard Kris Dunn‘s combination of elite athleticism, ability to get to the rim, passing ability and defensive upside should land him highly among lottery selections, Derek Bodner of DraftExpress opines in his scouting report of the player. Dunn is ranked No. 5 overall by Givony, while Ford lists him seventh. You can check out our profile of Dunn here and here.
Former NBA player Joel Freeland, who signed a two-year deal with the Russian club CSKA Moscow this past summer, will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury, and the team isn’t likely to re-sign him, Pick reports (via Twitter). Freeland averaged 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in Euroleague play this season.

Four Overseas First-Round Prospects Enter Draft

April 11th, 2016 at 11:51am CST by Chuck Myron

11:51am: Raznatovic client and first-round prospect Ante Zizic has also entered the draft, as the agent says and Eurohoops.net confirms (Twitter link). Zizic, a 6’11” center who plays for Croatia’s KK Cibona, is No. 22 on Ford‘s list and No. 26 on Givony‘s. The 19-year-old’s athleticism and frame offer promise, but his offensive skills need work, as Givony examined in February.

8:58am: Swingman Timothe Luwawu, shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz and center Ivica Zubac are the first-round prospects among a group of nine overseas players who’ve entered the draft, as their agent, Misko Raznatovic, revealed (Twitter links). Small forwards Marko Guduric and Rade Zagorac, point guard Ognjen Jaramaz, forward/center Alpha Kaba and centers Emircan Kosut and Jordan Shako are the others who’ve declared. All of them have until June 13th, 10 days before the draft, to withdraw.

Luwawu, a 6’7″ 20-year-old from France, has a decent shot to become a lottery pick as the No. 12 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings. Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him 19th. His strengths include an emerging 3-point game, passing and intriguing defensive skill, while ball-handling and a lack of willingness to finish inside are his weaknesses, as Givony observed in February. Luwawu plays for Serbia’s KK Mega Vizura.

Korkmaz appears poised to be drafted in the same range. Ford ranks him 13th while Givony has him at No. 18. The 6’7″ 18-year-old combines a well-honed 3-point stroke with impressive athleticism, but his defense lags behind, as Givony also examined in February. Korkmaz is with Anadolu Efes of Turkey.

The analysts are split on Zubac, with Givony pegging him 25th while Ford has him all the way down at 71st. The physical tools of the 7’1″ 19-year-old, along with his offensive upside and productivity, are his strengths while his defensive fundamentals, lack of polish and history of injuries are the trouble spots, as Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress examines in a pair of videos. Zubac is a teammate of Luwawu’s on KK Mega Vizura.

The 6’8″, 20-year-old Zagorac, another KK Mega Vizura player, has the highest ranking among the other prospects, coming in 72nd in Givony‘s rankings, though Ford doesn’t list him. The 6’10”, 20-year-old Kaba is Ford‘s 83rd-ranked prospect and 49th in Givony‘s 2017 mock draft, though Givony doesn’t list him among the top 2016 hopefuls. He along with Jaramaz, who’s 6’4″ and 20 years old, also play for KK Mega Vizura. Guduric, a 6’6″ 21-year-old, plays for a rival Serbian team, KK Crvena Zvezda. Shako, a 6’10” 19-year-old, is with Torrelodones of Spain.