No. 2 player who needs to step up if Leonard, Zubac can’t go: Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum stepped up with Leonard and Zubac gone in some aspects of his game, but not all.
Batum only put up two points in Game 5. The thing is, however, Batum isn’t a player who only succeeds on offense. He’s a good defensive player, and in Game 5, he rebounded very well.
Very few on the Clippers can say they rebounded well. It was just Paul George and Batum. Batum was second on the team in rebounds with eight.
Batum was a +18 in Game 5. Now imagine what he could be if he was more of a threat on offense. He wasn’t asked to do too much on offense, only attempting two field goals.
Ty Lue knows what he’s doing, but I expect Batum to get many more offensive chances in Game 6. He can hit them, and if he does, it’s going to make a huge difference.
If Zubac is out, the Clippers will likely go with many smaller lineups again of course. That means he’ll likely play at least 30 minutes (as he did in Game 5). He’ll get his playing time, and needs to cash in to lock up a Game 6 win.