As the Clippers muddled through the first two weeks of their season, an under-appreciated aspect of the team’s struggles was the play of Ivica Zubac. The 24-year-old center had his best season of his career in 2020-21 and became a legitimate anchor in the middle of the Clippers’ defense. Combine that with his facility out of the pick-and-roll — whether that was diving to the basket off pocket passes from Kawhi Leonard or kicking out to shooters on the short roll — and there was something special happening with Zubac.
But that magic was nowhere to be found in the team’s first few games.