Our player preview series for the 2026 Clippers continues the longest tenured player on the team, starting center Ivica Zubac.
Basic Information
Height: 7’0
Weight: 240 pounds
Position: Center
Age: 28
Years in NBA: 9
Stats: 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.6 turnovers in 32.8 minutes per game across 80 games played (all starts) on 62.8/66.1 shooting splits (0 3PA, 3.0 FTA) for 64.1 True Shooting
Contract Status: In the first year of a three-year, $58.5M deal, making $18M this season
Expectations
Zu has raised expectations for himself after putting together a career-best season in 2025. Zu set career highs in nearly every statistical category last year, including games played, minutes, points, rebounds, and assists per game, and advanced metrics like win shares and BPM. He was a dominant two-way presence, earning an All-Defense Second Team nod while receiving votes for All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year. While I don’t expect Zu’s counting stats will be quite as high this year, as the Clippers have more talent and are healthier going into the season, he is in his prime, so I do expect his overall impact to be at a similar level.
Strengths
Zu’s biggest strength is his defensive acumen. Always a plus on that end, Zu has continued to take steps in terms of his awareness, ability to stay out of foul trouble, and stoutness in defending opposing big men in the post. He’s a fantastic rim protector that consistently ranks among the NBA’s best in terms of opposing field goal percentage at the bucket. Not many players can shift Zu out of the way in one-on-one matchups, and he’s a very tough player to finish through. There are not many centers who have a larger impact on that end of the court.
A huge element of Zu’s defense is his rebounding. He’s a terrific rebounder on both ends of the court, with his ability to collect defensive rebounds being particularly important on closing possessions. Zu led the NBA in defensive, offensive, and total rebounds last season, and while that probably won’t happen again, it shows just how strong he is in that element of the game.
The area where Zu took his biggest strides last season was on the offensive end. Zu boosted his scoring from his previous career high of 11.7 points per game all the way up to 16.8 points per game – all while not sacrificing much in the way of efficiency. He and James Harden developed one of the most efficient and deadly pick and rolls in the NBA, with Zu’s monster screens and soft hands getting him several easy buckets per game. Zu’s offensive rebounding, long a strength, continued, providing more easy scores right around the rim. And, most importantly, Zu’s ability to get the ball in the post and score without assistance took a leap. In fact, Zu got so good in the post that teams started sending double teams – and Zu responded by improving his playmaking, posting by far a career high in assists per game while keeping his turnovers down.
Finally, it must be noted that Zu’s reliability is a massive strength. As a Clipper, he’s played in 72, 72, 76, 76, 68, and 80 games, with one of the 72-game seasons being every game because of the COVID-shortened campaign. Early in his Clippers days, the coaching staff worried about Zu losing energy and effectiveness if he played too much, and he firmly refuted that by logging major minutes last year. He’s always on the court, has plus stamina for a guy his size, and does not take stuff away. There’s not much to nitpick.
Weaknesses
It’s hard to say that Zu really has weaknesses at this point, more like limitations. He can’t shoot threes, or really any shots from outside of around eight feet from the rim, but that does not really matter for his position archetype. He can’t attack from the perimeter at all, but that’s not something the Clippers really need from him. He’s not a big man that can bring the ball up the court, but that’s an extremely rare skillset that’s hard to knock.
Really, the only thing you could point to as an actual weakness for Zu is that he’s not great at defending players out on the perimeter. A phenomenal defender in drop and help around the rim, Zu is not comfortable in switch-heavy defenses, as he’s prone to getting cooked by guards and swifter wings. The Clippers have designed their defense around Zu’s potent strengths, but his lack of switchability does make him a bit less “versatile” than other premier defensive big men like Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Victor Wembanyama.
Summary
Ivica Zubac is primed for a monster season. With a better backup behind him in Brook Lopez and more surrounding talent on offense, Zu can focus on the things he does best without having to carry the team on offense. Already one of the best centers in Clippers’ franchise history, another big year from Zu will put him into truly lofty conversations regarding his place in franchise lore. I have every confidence that Zu will have a season of that caliber, and he’s probably the Clipper I have the most faith in meeting his floor of expectations. Hopefully he makes it happen and helps the Clippers have another strong season.
