Amid the LA Clippers’ best win of the season, a dominant home victory versus the Los Angeles Lakers, fans worldwide had to see Ivica Zubac suffer an injury that sent him straight to the locker room. The Clippers’ medical staff immediately evaluated what went wrong, and unfortunately, the Croatian Star faced a grade two ankle sprain.
Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac will be sidelined for 3 weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left ankle sprain, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/HrELbsrGBb
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 21, 2025
Zubac did not even try to walk the injury off on the sidelines or utilize the stationary bicycle near the locker room. This would have been the case for a minor rolled ankle, but because he was ruled out for the contest shortly after regulation was paused so he could be helped off the court, it seemed serious.
Thus, Zubac’s re-evaluation is scheduled for three weeks from now. This will feel like the shortest yet longest multiple-week absence ever, as many important games will be played without him.
The LA Clippers have Brook Lopez as the primary center for Tyronn Lue, and that is it
In the 11 minutes Ivica Zubac played against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brook Lopez was unsure if and when his agent’s phone would ring with trade news.
However, in a split second, when Ivica Zubac’s ankle injury took place, Lopez became one of the most important players on the roster. Not because he is a star or a hidden gem the Clippers have, but more because LA has no other center available.
Zubac is down, Yanic Konan Niederhauser has missed the last few games with knee soreness, and there is no fourth option for Lue.
While it is just a sore knee, meaning Niederhauser will likely not be out longer than Zubac, until he is back, Lue will have to weather the storm and keep his head above water through lineups with only Lopez and small-ball big men.
Neither will work; Lopez is a seven-foot-one center with the heart of a three-point shooter, who is extremely slow, and LA’s small-ball options of Kobe Brown and Nicolas Batum will get cooked in the paint and give up offensive rebounds to their opponents.
On the contrary, these two are options b and c for the Clippers, unless they want to play four-on-five, which is even worse. Lue will just have to try his best to work with what he has and live with the mistakes. This is all just poor timing for a team 7-21 trying to finish at .500.