Kentucky addressed its biggest remaining roster concern on Tuesday when 7-foot-2 Croatian center Zvonimir Ivisic, one of the top young prospects in Europe, announced his commitment to John Calipari and the Wildcats via Instagram. Here’s what you need to know:
- Kentucky badly needed to add a big man after both its 7-footers, McDonald’s All-American freshman Aaron Bradshaw and promising sophomore Ugonna Onyenso, had foot surgeries this summer.
- The hope is both are back in time for the start of this season, but the Cats could not risk having only one — or neither — of them available.
- As last-minute options go, adding a prospect like Ivisic is a home run for Calipari. He turns 20 years old on Aug. 9 and has played against full-grown professionals in the Adriatic League.
- This summer, Ivisic averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and shot 34 percent (11-of-32) from 3-point range in just 19.4 minutes per game at the FIBA U20 European Championship. He averaged seven blocks per 40 minutes.
7’2 Zvonimir Ivišić showcased some insane flashes at U20 this year
At 7’2 he moves insanely well… as well as hitting off the dribble 3s.
Also averaged 3.2 BPG and shot 34% from deep
First rounder in the 2024 draft to me pic.twitter.com/pf0NFzKff9
— Pistons Draft Talk (@PDTScouting) July 20, 2023
How big a deal is this for Kentucky?
Potentially a huge one, because the Cats already had at least one five-star freshman at all three perimeter positions, plus super seniors Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell, the sharpshooting SEC Sixth Man of the Year and a stretch-four who started at West Virginia last season, respectively.
The only obvious hole in the roster was created when Bradshaw and Onyenso needed surgery. Now, no matter their status, Kentucky is going to have a 7-footer with legitimate NBA potential. Like the return of Reeves and the addition of Mitchell, adding Ivisic significantly raises the floor for these Cats, at minimum.
What kind of player is Kentucky getting?
A very, very modern one. Which fits the style we saw Calipari flirting with during a gold medal romp through the GLOBL JAM in Canada last month. The 6-foot-9 Mitchell filled in fantastically as a stretch-five on that trip, but just imagine a 7-foot-2 guy who can dribble, pass and shoot — plus protect the rim — playing that role.
Ivisic’s highlight reel is a tantalizing collection of clips in which he drives and dishes and dunks and splashes 3s and erases shots around the rim. Above all, just taking a player like this signals that Calipari is serious about playing five-out offense, spacing the floor and putting real shooting threats at every position. That would be quite a departure for the sometimes-stubborn Hall of Fame coach, but he has now built a roster that is perfectly suited to play the modern way.
Required reading
(Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
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