Ivica Zubac played just five games as the Indiana Pacers new starting center, and now his season is reportedly over.
Zubac suffered a fractured rib on Wednesday against Portland and is out for the season, reports Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. This doesn’t seem out of place for a tanking Pacers team in a “race” to have the best lottery odds possible heading into this June’s NBA Draft.
Advertisement
Zubac was out with a sprained ankle when the Clippers traded him to Indiana at the deadline for draft picks — potentially including this year’s pick, if it falls outside the top four. Indiana currently has the worst record in the NBA and, with that, still only has a 52% chance of keeping its pick, while there is a 48% chance it goes to Los Angeles.
Zubac averaged 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game with Indiana, but wasn’t exactly inspiring winning as the team dropped all five of those games. With Zubac out, expect Jay Huff to get the starts for the Pacers.
Zubac was brought in with an eye towards next year, when the strong pick setter and rim roller will be paired with Tyrese Haliburton — out for the season with a torn Achilles — and the core of a Pacers roster that went to the NBA Finals last June. The trade was never about this season.
Which is good, because Zubac’s season is over.
Read the full article here
