LA Clippers Best Performers #2. Ivica Zubac – Center
Ivica Zubac is another bench player for the Clippers that has been given some criticism of his lack of efficient performances from earlier in the season. One of the most difficult performances he displayed was against the Brooklyn Nets. Zubac needed a kickstart to get some consistency going forward.
He was able to find that kickstart by putting up a strong presence on the court against the Heat on Monday night. Zubac had his best performance of the season for the Clippers on Monday night as he was called upon to be more aggressive on both ends of the court. It is nearly impossible to completely stop Heat star center Bam Adebayo as he accounted for 27 points. What Zubac did do well was not put the Clippers in foul trouble and give Jimmy Butler more free-throw opportunities and closed off driving lanes at the paint.
Zubac finished with a season-high 22 points including 14 points in the second half. He shot 9-for-11 on field-goals and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also accounted for eight rebounds including two of them on the offensive end of the court as well as one steal, one assist, and only one turnover. Finally, he played all but the last seven seconds of the fourth quarter as he was a solid force on both ends of the court.
His stellar play against the Heat continues to make him one of the most reliable players coming off the bench. Once he gets the mentality to be more aggressive as coach Lue wants him to be, he will be an even more tenacious playmaker for the Clippers in future games.