Ivica Zubac could be the LA Clippers’ X factor in ’19-20

When Ivica Zubac joined the LA Clippers last season, he showed two-way potential. If he makes improvements on both ends, he could be the team’s X-Factor.

Six months ago, the LA Clippers’ front office made one of the easiest decisions that you’ll see in basketball. On February 7, they traded Mike Muscala, an afterthought of the Tobias Harris trade that never logged a single minute with the Clippers, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley.

Beasley would be waived just a few days later, and he remained unsigned up until this past Saturday, when he agreed to a deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Zubac, on the other hand, was a different story.

He stepped into the starting lineup immediately after the trade, and in his LA Clippers debut, he recorded 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a comeback victory over the Boston Celtics. He struggled in his next performance, a matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves and star big Karl-Anthony Towns. Two nights later, he went for 16 points and seven rebounds against Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns.

In a sense, that’s the best way to describe Zubac’s initial stint with the Clippers: He was largely inconsistent. Of course, that is to be expected of someone playing with a new team, and in a brand new role nonetheless. Zubac was also dealing with multiple hand injuries during the later parts of the season, which almost certainly played a role in his inability to finish at the rim at a consistent rate.

None of this is to suggest that Zubac was bad, though. After all, the 22-year-old did post averages of 9.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game with the Clippers last season, and he was the best true center the team played all season long. At the very least, he was a considerable upgrade over Marcin Gortat, who appeared in 47 games with LA last season before being waived in February.

By the end of the regular season, Zubac left Clipper Nation feeling impressed, and hopeful for the young big’s future.

The playoffs came and went, and it became clear early on that Zu would need to make improvements in order to stick around with the league’s best and play at a reasonable pace. He logged two DNPs in the Clippers’ six playoff games, and save for a 18-point, 15-rebound performance in the garbage time of Game 3, he was ineffective.

With that, the Clippers went into the summer with another decision to make. Should they re-sign Zu? Or should they cut their losses and scour the market for another big?

There were arguments for both sides of the situation, but ultimately, LA opted to offer Zubac a four-year deal worth $28 million that included a team option on the final year of the contract.

As we all know by now, that wasn’t all the Clippers did this summer. In addition to re-signing prominent role players like Patrick Beverley and JaMychal Green, LA landed Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, two MVP-caliber players that have every intention of bringing the title to Los Angeles.

As the only true center on the roster, Zubac makes the most sense to play the position in the starting rotation, perhaps alongside Beverley, Landry Shamet, Leonard and George. At the moment, he appears to be the weakest link in that lineup. That being said, there’s plenty of opportunity for him to improve this offseason — and depending on what kind of jump he makes, he could wind up being one of the more important players on the roster next season.

We’ve yet to see a fully healthy Zubac on the floor in a Clippers uniform, so that’s already one thing fans can look for once the season begins. And now that he should be fully integrated into the team’s system, we can look to see what kind of changes the coaching staff has started to make to his game.

One of those things, at least one that we expect, is a three-point shot. Zu has been seen in videos here and there on social media hoisting up looks from three-point range, which is something he’ll eventually need to implement into his game to stick with the more modern centers in today’s game. Assuming he adds it into his game similar to how Marc Gasol did a few years back, Zu could be taking multiple attempts from range per game next season — and that would certainly be a welcome sight.

At 7-1, Zu would be a tough guard at the three-point line, and his ability to hit it consistently would open up the Clippers’ offense much more. The starting rotation I mentioned earlier could legitimately feature five different three-point shooters, and each of those players are solid finishers inside as well. Essentially, somewhere, there would be a mismatch every time.

Of course, Zu doesn’t necessarily need to shoot the three. His presence in the paint — on both ends of the floor — is enough for the LA Clippers to succeed. It’s also important to keep in mind that just because Zu would start games, doesn’t mean he would be among those finishing them. Any closing lineup next season will have to feature one or both of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.

Zubac has a chance to either become a starting-caliber two-way big, or become a liability for Los Angeles. Under the direction of the LA Clippers’ staff, the first seems more likely — which will just give us one more thing to look forward to when the Clippers take the floor for the first time in October.