Before 'Lob City' became an era in its own, the LA Clippers' front office had enough losses to land the first overall pick in 2009. They followed their nightmare 2008-09 season by making the greatest decision in franchise history: drafting Blake Griffin, an athletic alien who played for the Oklahoma Sooners.
The draft prior, the Clippers drafted the greatest center in Clipper history in DeAndre Jordan, who could also float in mid-air. These two were far ahead of the rest as a front-court that opponents were scared to jump with at the rim.
However, to put the city on the map, the Clippers made a significant move by trading for Chris Paul in 2011. This move was generational then, and now, it is regarded as the reason why one of the NBA's most iconic cores was formed.
Furthermore, Paul has had endless highlights, throwing alley-oops to Griffin and Jordan, with legendary dunks that will never be forgotten. Every night of every season was something special, and it was during this time that millions fell in love with the Clippers' culture.
The group was eventually broken up, as the dunks were not as paramount as a championship, and Paul was the first to go in a trade to the Houston Rockets.
Almost a decade later, Paul has reunited with the Clippers, which was announced this morning. This time, Griffin and Jordan are not there, but the veteran guard will have John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac.
The vertical of Jones Jr. and Collins allows them to dunk in various forms, but Zubac relies more on size, which provoked Zach Lowe, an NBA expert, to crack a joke on the Croatian star's fit in the renovated 'Lob City.'
Zach Lowe made a subtle joke on Ivica Zubac's tendency to catch alley-oops with two hands
In the past, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan elevated themselves to the rim, catching the ball with either hand or both to dunk, creating distinctly notable highlights, often with Chris Paul as the facilitator.
However, Ivica Zubac will handle Paul's alley-oops differently, securing the rock with both claws, ensuring no error will be made, to dunk like he did with James Harden in 2024-25. This is his version, yet Zach Lowe lightheartedly mentioned on his recent show(37:58) that he does not necessarily jump high off the ground.
Although this may be true to a certain extent, Zubac is athletic enough to snag passes out of the sky with ease and often posterize opponents, causing no issues in the result.