Despite a late error, Ivica Zubac showed the LA Clippers he needs more minutes.
The LA Clippers’ loss on Tuesday will be remembered for one play and one play only: Devin Booker‘s falling down buzzer-beater that sealed the win for the Phoenix Suns. That shot was in thanks to an untimely turnover by Ivica Zubac.
While that turnover was costly and earned Zubac a lot of flack given the Clippers had a timeout still available, he showed throughout the game that he deserves more minutes.
It hasn’t happened in Orlando yet but before the COVID-19 shutdown of the league, Ivica Zubac rarely played in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t that he was necessarily bad but Montrezl Harrell was a more imposing force on the offensive end. I’m not going to argue that isn’t still the case but Ivica Zubac still proved himself today.
Of the starting five, Zubac was the only player with a double-digit plus/minus. In fact, outside of Marcus Morris’ +2, he was the only starter with a positive plus/minus. On the night, Zu had the third-most points on the team (behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George) with 18, his highest scoring output of the season. He shot 77.8% from the field and made four of his five free throws. To cap it off, he pulled down 12 rebounds and had a lone block.
Defensively, he played well, holding young center Deandre Ayton to just 3 of 10 from the field.
if it weren’t him that made the poor late turnover, Clipper Nation would be singing praise for him. I tweeted out this message after the game but it bears repeating:
Basketball games are not decided by just one play. To act like that single turnover invalidates everything a player did is naive.
Let’s be honest.
The Clippers are much more talented than the Phoenix Suns. This game shouldn’t have come down to a buzzer-beater being the deciding play. The team should have had this one put away earlier. However, they didn’t and because of that, we are harping on Zu for one mistake. Luckily, I believe that Doc Rivers understands that about the game and also understands that Zu has not had a lot of late-game opportunities like this to learn from.
While it is a very unfortunate way to learn, I can guarantee you that if a similar situation ever presents itself, Zubac will make the right decision. In the meantime, let’s get him on the court more. He’s good.