Clippers Big Man Emerging as a Force on D

A little more than two weeks ago, back tightness forced L.A. Clippers starting center Serge Ibaka out of the lineup. Ibaka’s injury came during a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans — L.A.’s fourth defeat in five games and seventh in 11 — and meant that 24-year-old Ivica Zubac’s 19.1 minutes per game were about to go way up. The fact that Zubac had not averaged more than 16 minutes during his first four NBA seasons was, justifiably, cause for concern.

Cut to now: The Clippers have won seven of eight, including six in a row, and are neck-and-neck with Utah as the hottest team in the league. Zubac’s 28.3 minutes over that span, far from being troublesome, have foretold his emergence as a potent force down low.

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Since taking over the starting role, Zubac is averaging 11 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 60.3% from the field.  But his biggest contribution has come on the defensive end, with the latest evidence coming Monday in a convincing 129-105 victory over the Eastern Conference powerhouse Milwaukee Bucks.

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Defending the Indefensible

Zubac only scored six points on 3-for-7 shooting against Milwaukee, but it was his defense against the league’s reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, that garnered praise from teammates and particularly head coach Tyronn Lue.

“I thought Zu did a terrific job on Giannis, that’s a tough cover and a tough matchup for anybody,” Lue told reporters after the game.

As Zubac acknowledged before the game and Lue reiterated afterward, the game plan was to sag off Antetokounmpo, inviting him to shoot from the outside. But many a team has tried that before and failed. Zubac, however, was able to force Antetokounmpo into tough shots even when he did get low.

“[Giannis] came out and made two threes early on, and one pull-up, but we were giving that shot up,” said Lue. “Outside of that, I thought Zu’s physicality and being able to play him at the rim was very huge for us.”

Antetokounmpo, despite scoring 32, missed five shots within 10 feet and was kept from establishing dominance in the paint where he has made a career out of scoring easily or dishing to open three-point shooters.

Two plays, in particular, exemplified Zubac’s effectiveness. With the Bucks up nine with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Zubac held his ground to force the driving Antetokounmpo into an off-balance lay-up attempt which fell short. And then, on Milwaukee’s next possession, Zubac cut off the baseline and brought Antetokounmpo into the center of the paint where his baby-hook again fell short.

“Zu did a great job on Giannis tonight,” agreed Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, talking to reporters after the game.

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Clearing the Boards

According to The Athletic’s Law Murray, heading into Monday’s game, Zubac ranked fifth overall in defended field goal differential on the season. This means that he’s not giving up a lot of uncontested layups or short attempts from inside the lane. Murray points out that in this regard Zubac is better than Ibaka, who is 16th, and suggests that it could contribute to Zubac retaining his starting role even when Ibaka returns.

If Zubac does continue to start, it will not be solely off his defense. Rebounding, particularly offensive rebounding, has become a major feather in Zubac’s cap.

Over the last eight games, Zubac is averaging four offensive rebounds per game, sixth-best in the NBA. And even more recently, Zubac pulled down seven against San Antonio on March 25, six against Philadelphia on Saturday, and five in the win against Milwaukee.

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