The 2024-25 season was a fantastic reminder of just how big Ivica Zubac has been for the Los Angeles Clippers ever since joining the franchise back in 2019. Subsequently, the past year also serves to emphasize just how wrong the Lakers were to give up on the Croatian big man.
Just think back to where Zubac was in February 2019 when he was traded from the Lakers to the Clippers. The previous season, he had averaged just 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds, while shooting a career-low 50% from the floor.
At the time, Big Zu was just a young player with some interesting potential. Sure, he had put up games like his 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day in 2018, but LeBron James and the Lakers were looking for more established players that could help them win a championship in the more immediate future.
Ever since he was traded cross-town and donned a Clippers jersey, Ivica has done nothing but improve and become a rock-solid starting center. He's progressed to the point of becoming one of the best centers in the association, something that would have sounded like an absurdity just a few short seasons ago.
Zubac is among the Clippers' most valuable players
It's no surprise that Zubac playing 80 games in the regular season this year ended up being one of the biggest reasons for LA's surprise season. One reason why he continued to grow was how much his chemistry with James Harden progressed.
The Harden-Zubac pick-and-roll was a lethal combination all year. The above video from Sean Billerman (@sbill30 on X) illustrates numerous instances from the 2024-25 campaign where Zubac showed his expertise in playmaking off of a short roll pass. Being that type of connector for the Clippers' offense was massive.
When operating as a one-on-one scorer, Zubac was positively fantastic. He mastered using the hook shot in the lane, and his strength allowed him to once again physically bully opponents in the post. This season was Zu's sixth in a row shooting at least 60% from the floor.
Defensively, Zubac was a monster too this season too. In addition to grabbing 12.6 rebounds per night, his shot-blocking ability came up huge for LA on several occasions. Ivica led the NBA in clutch-time blocks during the regular season with 12, four more than the second-place players (Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez). In the first round of the playoffs, we saw him do the impossible by actually making life look somewhat difficult for Nikola Jokic.
It's really a shame Ivica Zubac missed out on winning the Most Improved Player award, but finishing second in voting means plenty are still taking note of what he's been doing. And at the end of the day, Clippers fans can also smile at the fact that the Lakers' blunder is what led to them getting to watch number 40 dominate for their team night in and night out.