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LA Clippers: What every player needs to do in the playoffs

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 17: Los Angeles Clippers Center Ivica Zubac (40) looks on before a NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 17, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 17: Los Angeles Clippers Center Ivica Zubac (40) looks on before a NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 17, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Ivica Zubac: Be patient

Ivica Zubac (or Chewbacca, according to Bill Walton) has been a very solid addition to this LA Clippers team, providing exactly what they lacked all season long: A serviceable, starting center.

Coming over from the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the more lopsided trades in recent history, Zubac stepped right into the Clippers’ starting lineup and immediately began making a difference on both ends of the floor. An upgrade over the likes of Marcin Gortat and Boban Marjanovic, Zubac already looks like the best two-way big LA has been able to use since DeAndre Jordan was in his prime.

Zubac’s numbers won’t wow you — he’s averaging 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds as a member of the Clippers — but he’s done so in just over 20 minutes per game, which is surprisingly the most he’s played in any season during his NBA career.

His biggest issue offensively is rushing shots, and that’s something the Golden State Warriors will punish him for. Usually, Zubac would benefit from a fake or two to free up some space under the basket. But far too often, he settles for a contested look inside that falls short or goes too far. Unsurprisingly, he’s gotten just three and-ones to go his way as a member of the Clippers on 186 field goal attempts.

By taking a few extra seconds to improve his position and draw more contact, Zubac could become a far more efficient scorer than he is now, which would bring him one step closer to becoming LA’s center of the future.

Next. So what if the LA Clippers are the eighth seed?. dark

The LA Clippers will have a difficult time with the Golden State Warriors in the first round, and their chances of advancing are slim-to-none. But if each player plays their best brand of basketball, the Clippers could make things interesting right from the jump.

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