LA Clippers: 3 things to watch for in the Dallas Mavericks series

How does Montrezl Harrell effect Zubac’s minutes?

After leaving the bubble to be with his grandmother, Trezz is back! The sixth man of the year candidate is eligible to be activated for Game 1, which will certainly provide a spark that the Clips’ bench has been missing in the bubble.

The question is, how does that affect the minutes of our young big, Ivica Zubac? Zu has played out of his mind against the Mavericks this season, averaging 13.7 points and 10 rebounds on 64% shooting. Included in that is the 10/10 from the field performance he put up against the Mavs in the bubble.

His defense will also play a role in this series. Per NBA stats, when guarded by Ivica Zubac, Dallas big-man Kristaps Porzingis shoots just 44.4% from the field. If Zu can keep playing that sort of defense while fighting for rebounds and shooting a high percentage, it will help guarantee a win.

Which makes it interesting to see how Doc plays Montrezl Harrell during his comeback. Clippers fans have bemoaned the fact that Doc has been wont to play Trezz the entire 4th quarter, keeping Zu on the bench the whole time. You hope that Zu has earned more trust from the coaching staff late in games now.

It’s worth watching to see how this plays out. Trezz gives the team fantastic energy and adds a wrinkle on offense that can throw opposing teams off-balance, but Doc will have to balance that with the use of a (very skilled) traditional big man.