Part of the NBL Next Stars experience is learning to deal with the weight of expectation that comes with being a high-level NBA prospect. Luckily for all seven players who are taking part in the program in NBL24 – there’s plenty of strong mentors in Australian basketball to learn from.

In terms of on-court Australian success to look up to, no Next Star has the level of talent they can access quite like Brisbane’s Rocco Zikarsky. After all, some of Australia’s best ever talents made their name at the center position.

Along with Zikarsky’s Bullets teammate and 576 NBA game-veteran Aron Baynes, former number one draft pick and NBL MVP Andrew Bogut is heavily involved in the development of the 17-year-old star.

Ahead of the new season,  the trio caught up for the NBL’s newest documentary – 'NBL24: We Got Next'.

Watch We Got Next, episode 2, Friday at 6.30pm AEDT on 10 Play and ESPN via Kayo, Foxtel.

As the youngest of this season’s crop of Next Stars, Zikarsky won’t be draft eligible until the 2025 NBA Draft, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Bogut and Baynes from imparting some lived wisdom on the rising star.

“You have to have that competitive edge and the toughness to show up and do it every single day. The top guys with the Kobe mentality have that natural ability, but they’re willing to outwork guys as well,” Baynes said.

“Everyone’s telling you so much - your family, your agent - they’re all telling you you’re the best and you should play, but you’ve got 15 guys getting told the exact same thing, so how do you separate yourself?

“I knew I could outwork most guys I came up against, that was always my ticket and I held onto that throughout my NBA career.

“The benefit of being an Australian in America is they like the Australian culture, they’re fond of Aussies for the most part there so if you’re a half decent bloke you can’t really screw it up too badly.”

When Bogut arrived in the NBA it wasn’t the melting pot of world culture it is today. He played his first game for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005, as just the fifth number one pick in the almost 60-year history of the NBA Draft to not have been born in the United States.

Since Bogut’s draft class, five internationally-born players have been taken with the first selection in the draft.

“I think international guys always had a bit of a stigma, especially in that era when I first came in,” Bogut reflected.

“I copped a little bit just because of my accent, I had guys like TJ Ford – I’d be talking to him and he’d have no idea what I was saying, he’d just be nodding his head ... I had to realise I had to slow down a little bit.

“My advice to you would be the biggest thing is just consistency. If you’re just consistent the same way every day and you put the same amount of time in every day at a high level it’ll eventually work itself out.”

Watch We Got Next, episode 2, Friday at 6.30pm AEDT on 10 Play and ESPN via Kayo, Foxtel.