Rocco Zikarsky was cleared on the Tuesday, Oct 20 injury report after sitting at day-to-day since Oct 12. The 20-year-old center is available for the season opener at Miami on Wednesday night.
What happened
The injury report issued Tuesday, Oct 20 at 5:00 PM ET lists Rocco Zikarsky as cleared. He had been day-to-day since Mon, Oct 12, when the report carried him with an undisclosed issue, and a Tuesday update kept him at day-to-day before the evening report moved him to cleared. The report gave no detail on the injury and no comment. The change comes one day before the Timberwolves open the regular season. Donte DiVincenzo remains on the team's report as out with a right Achilles injury.
What it means for the Timberwolves
The next game is at the Heat on Wed, Oct 21 at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN, and the 2026-27 season has not started, so the record is 0-0. Zikarsky is a depth piece at center. Last season he played 5 games at 7.3 minutes, with 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists. The frontcourt minutes run through Rudy Gobert at 31.3 minutes and 10.9 points, Naz Reid at 26.1 minutes and 13.6 points, and Julius Randle at 33.0 minutes and 21.1 points. Anthony Edwards leads at 35.0 minutes and 28.8 points. There is no record with and without him yet, since no regular-season games have been played.
What to watch
Zikarsky is cleared, so the question for Wednesday is whether he sees the floor at all behind Gobert and Reid, not whether he is available. The next injury report before the game at Miami will confirm his status. No expected return date was announced because none was needed. DiVincenzo's right Achilles injury, listed as out, is the bigger rotation issue for the Timberwolves heading into the opener.
Is Rocco Zikarsky playing at the Heat on Wednesday?
He is cleared on the Tuesday injury report and available for the game at Miami on Wed, Oct 21 at 7:30 PM ET. Whether he gets minutes is a coaching decision.
When will Rocco Zikarsky be back?
He is back now. The Oct 20 report moved him from day-to-day to cleared. No further return timeline was announced.