1. Ivica Zubac
At the age of 25, Ivica Zubac will already enter his seventh year in the NBA. Thus far, Zubac’s career has been promising, disappointing, and underrated all wrapped in one.
The vagarious big man was an offensive and defensive pillar in the Lakers locker room before making the move down the hall to the Clippers. Prior to this past season, Zubac accepted his role as a screen protector, glass cleaner, and scored the majority of his buckets from offensive rebounds. Nonetheless, Zubac came into his own as LA’s biggest offensive stars were plastered to the bench last season.
With decent averages of 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds a night, Zubac has honed his back to the basket skills and has polished deft touch around the rim.
The return of both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will reduce Zubac’s paint touches significantly. Still, if the effervescent big man can dominate in single coverage and give LA’s stars a reprieve on the offensive end, he could push the Clippers over the championship edge.