When the LA Clippers acquired Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, the instant response was that of shock and celebration. The Clippers parted with Mike Muscala in a deal that netted them a promising young center who had flashed intriguing upside.
Zubac has since become one of the more beloved figures on the Clippers' roster, but not even his biggest fans could've seen his recent run of form coming.
Zubac, 28, is in the midst of the best season of his nine-year NBA career. The former second-round draft pick is posting career-best averages of 16.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.8 offensive boards, and 2.7 assists, as well as 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals, per game.
A double-double machine who's dominating the glass, creating for teammates, and finding his confidence as a scorer, Zubac has been instrumental to the Clippers' success.
With Zubac on the court, LA is outscoring opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions. By comparison, the Clippers are being outscored by 2.8 points per 100 possessions without him—thus resulting in a massive 11.9-point swing.
For as impressive as all of these numbers are, it's over the past two months that Zubac has taken a step toward stardom that the Clippers must ensure translates to the postseason.
Ivica Zubac has made a star-caliber leap that's turned LA into contenders
Zubac has seemingly made the leap, posting averages of 20.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 offensive boards, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 block over the past 22 games. During that time, LA has gone 16-6, defeating the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and New York Knicks.
Decrease the sample size to the past 12 games and the Clippers are 10-2, with Zubac reaching a dominant individual level of play.
Zubac has pulled down at least 20 rebounds in three of the Clippers' past 12 games. He's also scored at least 20 points in each of LA's past three outings, highlighted by the 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists he tallied during a win over the No. 2 seed Rockets.
With the playoffs nearing and Kawhi Leonard playing like himself again, Zubac is proving that the Clippers have a star-caliber option down low to complement the two-time Finals MVP.
If LA is going to make a deep run through the playoffs, then they'll need to enable Zubac to continue to perform at this level. That will require head coach Tyronn Lue to allow the big man to play through potential defensive issues, trusting him to find his way—much as he has during the regular season.
There may be some growing pains along the way, but Zubac's ability to dominate the glass, help facilitate the offense, and score with efficiency is nothing short of invaluable.
The promising news is that Zubac has already begun to display his otherworldly potential in the postseason. He averaged 16.2 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting from the field during the Clippers' six-game series loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, including a 20-point and 15-rebound performance in Game 1.
If the Clippers enable Zubac to remain aggressive throughout the 2025 NBA Playoffs, it could be a memorable year for player and team alike.