Zvonimir Ivisic is an unexpected "difference-maker" for Kentucky

Zvonimir Ivisic‘s debut was a movie, straight from a Disney script. Cleared just a few hours later, he checked in and immediately did the impossible — emphasis on that last part. It was a blast, but was it sustainable? Certainly not the 3-point shooting efficiency and volume.

After going for 13 points and five rebounds in his first game, Ivisic followed that with four total points and six rebounds in his next three outings, playing just 18 minutes. Then he missed the Tennessee game due to illness.

“Y’all put him at God status and then he sort of came down a little bit,” Bruiser Flint said ahead of the Vanderbilt trip. “That was an unbelievable debut, right? I mean what can you say? … But we have a pretty good game plan for him going forward. It’s probably more long-term than short-term. … I think for Z, it’s down the road.”

Well, it ended up being down the road to Nashville, not anything time-wise. Just a day later, Ivisic went for 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block with three turnovers while fouling out in 12 minutes. It was a rollercoaster ride you just didn’t want to get off of, but had no choice.

“Z was really good,” John Calipari said of the performance. “I mean, if that’s who he is, we could have a difference-maker.”

His length was overwhelming, pulling down six offensive boards. The Commodores just couldn’t compete vertically. Then he zipped one through to Rob Dillingham, who hit Justin Edwards to complete the hockey assist. Later, he found Jordan Burks on the dump-off slam in transition. And how about the fadeaway putback and catch-and-shoot three from the top of the key on back-to-back possessions?

Or how about the filthy underhand lob to Aaron Bradshaw for the flush — 7-2 to 7-1?

Georgia? Yeah, probably not sustainable. Flint joked he was in the wrong spots to get those shots in the first place, but fortunately hit them. This, though? The touch and feel and vision, the pure skill? All of that is replicable.

It was part of the plan when the team realized Tre Mitchell would miss the matchup with a back injury. The role was already carved out for him, someone had to fill it. Just play him there and let him do those same things?

“I want to put Z at the five and play him like we do Tre where we play through him some. Let’s see what he can do,” Calipari said ahead of the matchup. “We may find out, ‘Oh no.’ Or we find out we have one more playmaker. We’re trying to get a couple of guys to create shots for their teammates — and I’m not just talking about guards. I’m talking our forwards, too.”

There was an adjustment, obviously. He committed some unnecessary turnovers and fouls, limiting his time on the floor to just 12 minutes. But goodness gracious were those 12 minutes electric.

And if he can tighten things up a bit, it could allow Mitchell to give his back more time to heal. There is no pressure for him to rush back knowing there’s a capable option holding the Wildcats over in his absence.

“We want to (play him in that role),” Calipari said afterward. “How long is Tre out? We’re fine, we’ll play him in that spot.”

If he’s going to keep playing and play a lot, though, there is some work to do. The foul-to-minute rate has to get better. He can’t make an impact if he’s not able to stay on the floor.

“I know what we are and how good we are. I know. We’ve got to get better defensively, we’ve got to get tougher,” Calipari said. “Z got pushed around again and he grabbed. Don’t grab, be low. Play like you’re playing against men over in Croatia. These guys are physical in what they’re doing.”

We knew Ivisic would be a work in progress, especially coming in so late. He was behind the rest of his teammates, then had his best practice Monday. That paved the way for his best all-around effort in a Kentucky uniform.

“I’ll tell you, he’s a difference-maker,” Calipari said.

Not a bad thing to add to your roster in January.