Cavaliers: Recent report highlights how Ante Zizic is in peak shape

Ante Zizic’s conditioning was reportedly his main criticism heading into the offseason, and he’s doing his absolute best to be in peak shape for the 2019-20 season for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As we’ve often emphasized here at KJG, the Cleveland Cavaliers being successful in their rebuild in the coming years will seemingly be predicated on outstanding work ethic/character and an undeniable team-first mindset, as those in leadership have reportedly touched on.

We’ve hit on how Collin Sexton is reportedly one of the team’s players leading by example in that way with his improvement as a shooter, and a player it seems that’s also doing his absolute best to improve a weakness of his into a strength (this being conditioning) is reportedly Ante Zizic.

Zizic did pretty well when given a considerable minutes-share last season, which was mostly when the Cavaliers’ big rotation was decimated by injuries to Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love and to some extent, Larry Nance Jr.; Nance played the most out of those three, with 67 appearances, whereas Love only appeared in 22 games and Thompson appeared in only 43, per Basketball Reference.

That was a plus for Zizic’s growth in his second NBA season, though.

In 2018-19, Zizic had solid averages of 7.8 points on 55.3% shooting, to go with 5.4 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game in 59 appearances, per Basketball Reference.

Nonetheless, Zizic still has his warts as a big in today’s league, and defensively, he struggled, in particular.

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He’s not a big who can switch out at all in pick-and-roll coverage against ball-handlers, is not much of a presence near the rim as a shot blocker, and though he was better, still could improve some against traditional bigs in post defense, too, and this offseason, his conditioning reportedly needed to be a major focus for him to warrant big rotational minutes in the near future.

The Cavs, especially general manager Koby Altman, reportedly wanting Zizic to “focus on himself,” per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, and for him to be ready to compete for a more seemingly more consistent rotational spot next year, and that meant doing things like improving his body/conditioning.

Cleveland head coach John Beilein spoke glowingly about Zizic, per Fedor.

"“You know what I like best? His attitude is incredible,” head coach John Beilein told cleveland.com. “The guy is coming here and climbing mountains to get himself in shape. (Strength coaches) were telling me that this is the best shape they have ever seen him in and I think that will show during the season.”"

Fedor would go on to detail how the young big went to Croatia to work on his fitness for roughly six weeks, and was Zizic’s chance to “refocus and start transforming his body.”

Along with that, Fedor would touch on how the results are coming for Zizic.

"“First, Zizic wanted to add weight. He played around 250 pounds last season. He says he’s currently at 267. It’s not the bad, sloppy weight, which his body can’t support. All muscle. Zizic, 6-foot-11 and 267 lbs., is at nine percent body fat, below where he played last season when he was somewhere north of 10. The two toughest things to eliminate from his diet? Soft drinks and cake. But he’s made the sacrifice.”"

That’s great news to hear in relation to Zizic, because the 22-year-old big has good touch around the basket, has quality footwork on the block, and as Beilein (per Fedor) alluded to, Zizic does have a nice mid-range shot, too, so I would imagine defensively is where the improvement from a fitness standpoint would be most seen.

Of course, the Cleveland Cavaliers potentially trading the expiring Thompson and/or John Henson, which could be done by the 2020 trade deadline, per Fedor, would likely open up more of a minutes-share for Zizic, but if he keeps at it in this sort of way and keeps working on his shooting, it won’t hurt his chances of getting more rotational minutes in meaningful times in the 2019-20 season, anyhow.

Furthermore, Zizic would say (per Fedor) how he’s going to “try to do everything possible to get a good chance to play,” which is the right mindset to have.

Fedor would also mention how Zizic is set to make $2.2 million this season in the last year of his rookie contract and that Cleveland could pick up his option for 2020-21 season “sometime in October,” and hearing this sort of news in regards to Zizic makes me the belief that the Cavaliers will indeed pick that option up.

Zizic is a player that can be a nice piece for Beilein in the coming years if he’s fully locked-in and keeps working hard, and this is a nice way to start for him heading into next year.

Keep it up, Ante!