Ivica

Zubac

Zubac is progressing in his recovery from a sprained ankle, but he may not return to game action anytime soon. And, given where the Pacers are in the standings, it would likely be in the team’s best interest to keep Zubac out for as long as possible. Jay Huff should remain in the starting lineup.

Fantasy managers will have to wait a little longer to see Zu in a Pacers’ uniform, and it’s unlikely he sees a ton of run for Indiana down the stretch of a lost season. While Zubac is on the shelf, Jay Huff should continue to start at center.

Zubac was dealt to Indiana at the trade deadline and could suit up for his new team for the first time. Though managers shouldn’t expect him to suit up often this year, his presence will push Jay Huff to a bench role.

Lopez, likely the new full-time starter at the center spot for the Clippers, logged one of his better games of the season. He scored effectively without needing to rely on high three-point production, and he also set a season-high in rebounds along the way. The former NBA champion made his mark on the defensive end as a rim protector and put together a really solid performance in his 36 minutes on the floor. Now, without Ivica Zubac, Lopez will have more opportunities to put up these types of numbers going forward.

Without Ivica Zubac and James Harden, who were both traded ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, Leonard led the new-look Clippers to a win on Friday, ending a two-game skid. The two-time Finals MVP reached the 30-point mark for the first time since mid-January and set a new season-high in assists in the process. Leonard also fell one rebound short of a double-double, posting one of his more balanced performances of the season. Until the Clippers get their newly acquired players into the lineup, particularly Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, expect Leonard to shoulder most of the load on a nightly basis.

Nembhard is back in the lineup, and so is Aaron Nesmith, for Indiana’s first game following the trade deadline. This opening unit will almost certainly change once Ivica Zubac, whom the Pacers just traded for, is available to play. But they’ll have to do without his services on Friday as they try to end a two-game losing streak.

Even though the Pacers are not in contention this season, Zubac is signed through the 2027-28 season with his three-year, $58.6 million deal. The 28-year-old is averaging 14.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 43 games this season. He will slide into the starting center role for a team in desperate need of a big man, and then will form a strong core with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam next season. This trade is also good news for the Thunder, who own the rights to the Clippers’ first-round pick. With the Clippers trading away Zubac and James Harden, that pick figures to be pretty high in the upcoming draft. The Pacers are also sending their 2016 first-round pick to the Clippers, but that pick is top 1-4 and 10-30 protected. Given that the Pacers currently have the third-worst record in the NBA, it would be a huge risk for them to play their best lineup going forward and risk picking in that 5-9 range. As a result, we may see a lot of rest days for their better players, including Zubac, in the days ahead.

Zubac’s absence is not trade-related, according to multiple reports. Nevertheless, the 28-year-old center will miss Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers for personal reasons. Brook Lopez could move into the starting lineup, but isn’t worth streaming in most fantasy leagues.

Zubac became the only player in the NBA to have 20 rebounds in a game and not miss from the field since 2020. The 28-year-old center completely dominated the boards as the Clippers out-rebounded the Suns 63-35. His scoring hasn’t lived up to his preseason ADP, though his rebounding has been tremendous. Zubac has provided 14th-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Clippers have four games in Week 16, starting with a matchup against the 76ers on Monday.

For the first time since late November, Zubac has hit double digits in rebounds in five consecutive games. The 19 boards accumulated on Thursday weren’t a career-high, but they were a season-high for the 7-footer. Decreased scoring production has negatively affected Zubac’s fantasy value this season, but there have also been decreases in rebounds, steals and blocked shots. While he remains a top-100 player in eight- and nine-cat formats, Zubac’s fantasy ceiling has been lower than many expected.