Flagg to fly as top pick while Aussies chase NBA dream
Brisbane Bullets centre Zikarsky and Sydney Kings talent Toohey are projected second-round selections at the two-day event, starting on Thursday (AEST) in New York.
The pair of NBL Next Stars were named in ESPN's top 100 players for the draft alongside Duke University guard Tyrese Proctor and Illawarra Hawks centre Lachlan Olbrich.
University of Louisville sharpshooter Reyne Smith is also eligible and considered an outside chance.
All are part of a strong contingent of international prospects, with about one-third of this year's selections likely to hail from outside the US.
But for the first time in three years, the top selection won't be from France.
Flagg was the best player in college basketball last season, leading Duke to the Final Four despite starting the campaign as a 17-year-old.
The burgeoning superstar is set to land at the Dallas Mavericks, who hold the No.1 pick, with Rutgers University duo Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey also in the mix as possible top-three selections.
But this year's draft is considered wide open - and that's where the Australians come in.
Toohey has impressed NBA scouts with his smarts and improved shooting, and could even be taken with a late first-round pick, which would earn him a guaranteed two-year contract.
If so, the 201cm prospect would follow in the recent footsteps of countrymen Josh Giddey (No.6, 2021) and Dyson Daniels (No.8, 2022) as a first-round selection.
Zikarsky had a quieter second campaign in the NBL that ended prematurely due to a knee injury.
But the 18-year-old is seen as a sleeper and a chance to be taken in the second round, offering the rare and imposing height of 220cm.
A possible defensive anchor, Zikarsky's height and standing reach topped all participants and turned heads at the draft combine.
Olbrich's combine performance catapulted him up draft boards following a season when he was an integral part of Illawarra's NBL championship.
Proctor, a point guard, is also rated a good chance of being selected after three seasons at one of the USA's most prominent basketball colleges.
Smith has built his stocks around his elite shooting which could entice NBA teams, though the Tasmanian appears more likely to head to Europe.
The Australian contingent of NBA draft hopefuls this year decreased when Alex Condon and Ben Henshall withdrew.
Florida Gators power forward Condon will return for another college title push, while Perth Wildcats forward Henshall is yet to decide his future after earning plaudits in the NBL last season.
Henshall's Wildcats teammate Izan Almansa - another NBL Next Star - is also in draft contention this year.
The 20-year-old Spanish big man could add to the growing success of the Next Stars program, which has produced nine players drafted directly from the NBL to NBA - including six in the last five years.
Former Next Stars AJ Johnson, Alex Sarr and Bobi Klintman were all picked up in last year's draft and have since made their NBA debuts.
French forward Ousmane Dieng won the NBA title with Oklahoma City this week, three years after completing his Next Star stint with the New Zealand Breakers.
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The consensus is Siulepa has what it takes, confirmed some six weeks ago by a breakthrough performance at the Under-19 World Cup in Switzerland, where he averaged 18.9 points and 8.1 rebounds and posted a pair of double-doubles, including 19 points and 12 rebounds against a stacked US side. As a physical specimen weighing 100kg and standing two metres tall with a reach of 2.6m, he holds the upper hand over grown men and has the on-court aggression to level basically anything in his path. Likened to a young Ben Simmons, he is a highlight machine in the making, and could probably pursue NFL if that way inclined. But there are plenty of critical reviewers who point out a limited repertoire lacking in touch and an in-between game, with no pull-up or floater or much refined technique. Siulepa acknowledges this when asked in which facets his game needs to improvement. 'Obviously, everyone says everything,' is the reply, though he is a willing subject ready for Capel's moulding. Would Kefu say similar? 'I dunno,' he replies, then chuckles, 'I'm dating his daughter – I live in his house.' Siulepa and Lucia – who will live and study with him in at the University of Pittsburgh – both attended Brisbane State High School and got together ('she gave me a chance') not long before her famous father started coaching the First XVs. Loading It made for a 'pretty nervous' pre-season and a half-smiling 'be careful, mate' chat, later growing into a strong bond with both Kefu and wife Rachel. The pair is a valuable source of guidance in a complicated sports industry for a young man Kefu believes 'keeps a lot inside'. 'One thing that I have noticed about Roman, there's a lot of people around him that not only speak highly of him, but generate a lot of interest around him that probably doesn't need to be [there],' says Kefu, who also grew up playing both basketball and rugby before his father, former Tongan international Fatai Kefu, chose the latter for him. 'There's probably some naysayers out there, and I think he's always trying to prove them wrong. He also wants to prove to himself that he can achieve what he wants to achieve. Social media puts a whole lot of set of new set of pressures on him as well. 'The Roman I see at home is a quiet kid, hardly says boo. He just goes about his business. We have a fist bump here and there, a hug here and there, but he doesn't really talk about how he feels much. 'But when he gets motivated to do something on the field, watch out. Because some of the stuff I've seen ... from people saying, talking, chirping at him, is unbelievable. 'I've seen him run a whole length of the field to score a try. In GPS rugby that's unbelievable, you don't see that often. The guys who can do that, they play for the Wallabies, or they're superstars of [the] NRL.'
