Clippers Starting Center Prediction: Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka will begin next season as the starting center for the Clippers.
That’s how it went this year too, but Ibaka had to miss so many games due to injury.
Ivica Zubac has his moments for sure. In Games 2 through 4 of the Western Conference Finals, he had 41 rebounds. There were plenty of times throughout both the regular and postseason where Zubac really shined.
There were also some times where Zubac was a bit of a liability in certain defensive matchups. This is why the Clippers should go with the more experienced player in Ibaka, and I think they will.
Ibaka is still an elite shot blocker at his age, and has too much valuable playoff experience being a dominant defensive force for the Clippers to pass on this opportunity. The only reason Ibaka finished the season as the backup was because he had missed so much time.
If he was playing the whole year, there would be no doubt that he would have been the top performing center on the Clippers.
This starting lineup would absolutely compete for a Championship. It will be one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, and is cause for excitement for what should be a terrific 2021-2022 Clipper campaign.