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Yahoo Sports NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek just needed to see Kentucky freshman Zvonimir Ivisic finally get on the court for a game before she elevated to a top 10 pick in her 2024 NBA mock draft.
“I saw all I needed to see,” Peek said after Ivisic’s UK debut against Georgia when he had 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two assists. “ I had already seen him play in Serbia and how well he can help a team. It was clear Kentucky knew what they had behind closed doors before he got eligible. I am sorry but he is a (NBA draft) lottery pick and there’s no way not to go ahead and post that.”
Peek understood why some UK fans were perplexed that she put Ivisic in the top 10 — she had Rob Dillingham No. 7 and Reed Sheppard No. 14. They might be even more perplexed now after Ivisic has played just 12 minutes since the Georgia outing and has just one field goal, three points, four rebounds and two blocks in 12 minutes combined against South Carolina and Arkansas.
“My editor was asking how can you put a guy at No. 9 with one game on his resume. I told him that he played an entire season last year (in Europe) and I was very familiar with him. He also looked very impressive in that first game,” Peek said. “He has a tremendous upside.
“I don’t cover Kentucky basketball as a beat but when he got cleared (by the NCAA) nothing about his game surprised me. I knew he was a tremendous 3-point shooter. I had also seen that he was a great rim protector.
“His passing surprised me a little bit but playing in Europe and now at UK has helped him there. He is used to playing freely and that passing comes naturally to him.”
She says his passing will translate well to the NBA and teams look for big men who can pass. Peek pointed out how productive Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has been with unique skills for a player his size.
“Jokic is great with the ball in his hands and creating but is also a phenomenal passer and a legitimate triple-double threat most games,” Peek said. “So at 7-2 if Ivisic can pass like he does and see the court like he does is just crazy and something NBA personnel really like along with his 3-point shooting. That’s why Kentucky could have three lottery picks.”
5 Responses
Shocker that other people recognize and know what type of talent Z brings to the table yet Cal can’t recognize or manage the same. They don’t exactly play softball on the BB courts of Serbia. If we don’t continue to show improvement on D and get more offensive production out of the 5, we aren’t going anywhere.
It seems that having 3 seven footers isn’t always a good thing. It’s hard to give them all playing time when your team is stacked with future NBA talent.
Krysten Peek made a solid argument why Z should be a lottery pick. I agree with his/ her perspective.
Z does have to come in and be more assertive to show his talents. He has all those natural abilities but does seem to be contact adverse.
What happened the next 2 games??