After a disappointing 5-12 start to the regular season, the LA Clippers are looking for some hope. In the second half of a back-to-back, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 120–105. Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard returns with impressive performance from big man Ivica Zubac
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Zubac would finish the game with 33 points (15-22 FG), 18 rebounds and 4 assists. Leading the team in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. However, this is nothing new for Zubac, so the question is, what’s next?
this season vs last season
One thing that has been noticed about Zubac this season is not only his decline statistically, but also his play. Currently, he is averaging 16.0 ppg, 11.8 rpg and 61.4% from the field. The numbers are very good, especially for a traditional center.
However, Zubac’s impact has diminished somewhat from last season, where he was not only an anchor on defense with elite rim protection, but also a force offensively.
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The game vs. the Cavaliers showed glimpses of last year, with brutal dunks, sweet footwork on the block and multiple possessions with both hands around the basket. This is the Zuback this team needs.
Who is stopping Zubac?
After his most productive season last year, Zubac’s production was set to take a surge. However, that has yet to be seen, and that is why the Clippers are struggling.
When looking at some of the best centers in the NBA like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony-Towns, Victor Wembenyama, there is a certain pattern in these players and that is their ability to shoot the basketball. As great as Zubac is scoring around the rim, he is shooting poorly beyond 10-15 feet and that is a problem.
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High-Volume Pick and Roll In the Clippers offense, teams have gameplanned against the Zubac-James Harden pick and roll that they utilized last season. So now, the opportunities are reduced for a guy like Zubac who is one-dimensional where the defense knows where he’s going to go after the roll.
Towards the basket.
At 27 years old, the next step for Zubac is simply to become a threat that involves at least shooting the basketball in the mid-range. This will present a tough challenge to the defense where they cannot double up once they have possession of the post.
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