Ante Zizic made more than a geographical leap when, in midseason he left Cibona of the Adriatic League for the up-and-coming Darussafaka Dogus, an Istanbul-based team in the Turkish League and, of particular value, the EuroLeague.

The learning curve was cliff-like, and the talent tough enough to knock the young Celtics prospect around mercilessly in his first practices and games. His new coach was a man of not only prime EuroLeague accomplishments but also a short, lively run in the NBA with Cleveland and LeBron James — David Blatt.

Blatt in turn had seen Zizic for the first time at the age of 16 in one of his camps as then-head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The kid was tall, raw-boned, and kept picking himself off the floor after each hard knock.

That’s the reaction Blatt saw again last winter from the now-20-year-old center.

“That’s why I wanted to get him this year,” Blatt said of Zizic’s growing reputation as one of the best rebounding big men in Europe. “Despite getting taken to the floor, he kicked around and kept coming at you.”

The longer Zizic played on the accelerated EuroLeague schedule, the more secure he became in the paint, at one stage grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring nine points in a Feb. 24 loss to Real Madrid.

Is this the work of one of the better rebounders in Europe? Blatt won’t sign on just yet.

“I wouldn’t say better, but he more than held his own,” Blatt said. “That bodes well because that’s how he’s going to have to impact the game once he makes the NBA.

“He’s a good athlete, not a great athlete, but he has a nose for the ball and absolutely no fear. He’ll physically battle with anyone.”

Zizic is scheduled to make his Celtics debut tomorrow against an interesting Philadelphia team in the first game of the Salt Lake City NBA Summer League, though a truly good potential test — center Joel Embiid — isn’t on the roster.

Over the course of the next three weeks in Salt Lake City then in Las Vegas, Zizic’s rabidly curious Celtics public will get its first prolonged look at the 7-footer’s renowned competitive energy. Right now that’s probably his readiest ability.

“He has a terrific motor,” Blatt said. “He’s a great runner for a big man. What you get from him is all-out effort. He’s not going to fail from a lack of effort.”

But Blatt again demurs when asked if Zizic is NBA-ready.

“He still has a ways to go,” Blatt said. “This was really his only season of high-level experience. He has a lot of growing and developing to do. He has to work on his post game, and he has to become a lot more accustomed to NBA terminology.

“But if I had to bet on a kid who has this kind of willingness to learn and be patient and work, I would bet on him.”

Don’t expect a typical European big man, for example. Zizic is here for his rebounding and active game, not his shooting.

“He didn’t get to shoot it a lot this year,” Blatt said. “But he has a good shot and he has touch on his shot. That’s something that will be developed.”

Blatt, his travels considered, runs perhaps the most NBA-friendly system in Europe, and he believes that this, too, will help Zizic with his transition.

“I would say yes, but I would say I’m betting more right now on his intangibles — will, courage and desire,” Blatt said.

Those three qualities certainly helped Zizic when it was time to forget about his dominance of the Adriatic League, and throw himself into the best basketball league short of the NBA.

“He adapted nicely, and really right away,” Blatt said. “That showed a lot of character in Ante. He’s a very bright and mature 20-year-old.

“He was used to European basketball, so stepping up to a higher level was not a shock for him. He had no problem stepping up to the size and speed of the (EuroLeague) game, and it helps that he’s very coachable.”

Blatt foresees more business stateside

Coach David Blatt (right) was able to take players such as Zizic, former Celtics draftee Luke Harangody and Brad Wanamaker and lead Darussafaka Dogus to its first EuroLeague playoff appearance since the team was founded in 2000. His team lost to Real Madrid, 3-1, in the EuroLeague quarterfinals, and was swept, 3-0, by a Gigi Datome-led Fenerbahce in the Turkish Basketball Super League semifinals.

As he showed everywhere from the Russian national team to Maccabi Tel Aviv, Blatt can improve a team in a hurry. But something else is tugging at him, and maybe the sight of one of his young stars heading off for the NBA simply exacerbates the feeling.

Blatt wants back in. “I hope to get back to the NBA next year,” he said referring the 2018-19 season.

There are no coaching vacancies in the NBA now.

Pickin's should be good in 2018

For those wondering about the value of those Nets and Lakers first-round picks next summer, keep in mind the Celtics already have graded the potential 2018 draft class as at least an above average big-man crop. The chance of landing two picks in the top five — and finally saying adieu to that Nets treasure trove — will give Danny Ainge a chance at one or two of the following three high school stars: Missouri-bound 6-10 forward Michael Porter of Columbia, Mo., who already is doomed with a Kevin Durant comparison; 7-footer DeAndre Ayton of the Bahamas and headed to Arizona; and Texas-bound 6-11 forward Mohamed Bamba of Harlem, N.Y.