Opportunities to score and win in basketball have several key starting points, and the main one for all of them is through rebounds. Not allowing offensive rebounds is crucial, and grabbing them, is extremely beneficial. Yet, Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns, the LA Clippers were out-rebounded, and it was because of the starting lineup, except for Ivica Zubac.
Zubac had two phenomenal, consecutive performances versus the Suns, and although he scored more in the first of them, 23 on Thursday night, the second was more impressive, with 21 points, four assists, and a final count of 15 rebounds, two offensive and 13 defensive.
With the starting center dominating the glass, how could the Clippers have possibly lost the inside battle to Phoenix?
The answer: Zubac received absolutely no help from his teammates. They legitimately let the Suns, who had several players record 5+ rebounds, win without any resistance, proving the Clippers need the Croatian star, even on his below-average scoring nights.
The Clippers’ starting five must do a better job of helping Ivica Zubac in the paint
In a must-win game where the score got extremely close in the third quarter, Tyronn Lue should have emphasized the glass, as that was what cost them. Zubac had a team-high of 15, and the rest of the starting lineup had two, both from Kris Dunn.
Behind ‘Big Zu’ should have been James Harden, who averages nearly five a game, but he posted a donut, making no impact in an area that was needed to take down Phoenix.
The concept of the team’s second-best rebounder and the best player at the power forward position sitting on the bench is blasphemous, yet that has been the execution plan of Tyronn Lue this season.
Had he started Collins with Zubac against the Suns, the starters would have inevitably done better around the rim, leading to a closer numbers game. Instead, Phoenix’s 42 boards crushed the Clippers’ 27.
Moreover, Zubac’s value will always be present. He has consistently put in the most effort in his job, and Saturday night was a great example. The next-best center, Brook Lopez, did nothing on the glass, just like Harden, though he is much taller and has higher expectations in those areas.
That said, in practice, Zubac should stay focused on his ways to score, while every other member of the rotation should be in the paint, working on how to prevent what happened over the weekend from happening again.