Should the LA Clippers do more with starting center Ivica Zubac?
Watch LA Clippers @ Denver Nuggets Game 6 live on Sky Sports Arena from 6pm on Sunday
Sunday 13 September 2020 06:28, UK
LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers often praises Ivica Zubac while adding the team never run plays for him. Should the Western Conference heavyweights do more with their starting center?
In almost every LA Clippers broadcast, you will hear three things said about third-year starting center Zubac.
Firstly, you will hear that he is an excellent role player that the team is lucky to have. Secondly, you will reminded that the trade that saw the Clippers get him from the crosstown Lakers in exchange for merely a rental of veteran Mike Muscala (in what turned out to be a non-playoff season) was an absolute heist. And thirdly, after he makes a basket, it will invariably be pointed out that Clippers head coach Doc Rivers himself says that the team does not run any plays for him.
The first of these is undeniably true. In the regular season, Zubac averaged 8.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 blocks per game, a highly useful level of production, especially when doing so in only 18.4 minutes per game, a low number for a starter and one that could perhaps stand to grow.
Indeed, in the postseason, Zubac's production has grown, putting up 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.8 blocks in a slightly increased 24.5 minutes a night. Zubac plays good defense around the basket, always has a good rebounding rate, is an efficient finisher as a roller to the rim, and serves also as an occasional mid-range guy who can take some touches down low and offer a bit of verticality. He is no stiff. Far from it. He is very fluid in motion and skilled at what he does.
The second is even more undeniably true. Muscala averaged only 5.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 17 ultimately meaningless games for the Lakers before leaving for the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency, and the fact that the Clippers had to take on the redundant contract of Michael Beasley in the deal was negligible, as he came off the books over the summer as well.
They have thus been able to land a short, intermediate and long-term piece for the price of essentially nothing; what little Muscala (a salary-filling piece of the Tobias Harris deal acquired the day before) could potentially offer them, Patrick Patterson is now doing for the minimum salary anyway.
As for the third point, though - while it is an exaggeration to say plays are never run for him, there really are not many, and there is enough truth to it to ask questions. Should it be true? If you have a versatile and capable finisher like this, could you not do more with it?
In a way that is commensurate with the Clippers' overall offensive style, surely, they could. The days of the orthodox group think which held that a 7ft 1in player should take post-up touches by default are behind us. Even though Zubac has had a little bit of success at doing so (scoring 32 points on 35 post-up possessions in the regular season, an almost exactly league-average mark), the 0.914 points per possession he averages as a post-up player is not the answer.
It is surely possible though to find more opportunities in such a well-spaced offensive unit to get more touches right at the basket for this highly efficient finisher.
One of the great strengths of these Clippers is the fact that, in Kawhi Leonard, they have a player who can get to any spot on the floor, no matter the defense he faces. They have a fairly good bench version of this, too, in the form of Lou Williams, who might always want to go to his left hand, but who can usually get there.
Combined with the talent and versatility of Paul George and a plethora of shooters including Landry Shamet, Marcus Morris and Patrick Beverley, the Clippers are a very well-spaced unit that is hard for any team to defend.
However, a key part of that also is - or should be - Zubac, one of the best roll men in the league. A good athlete for his size who is fleet of foot and who does a good job of getting around defenders rather than barrelling through them, he averaged 1.192 points per possession as a roll man in the regular season, increasing that to 1.301 points per possession on cuts. These are both very healthy marks.
The fact that the Clippers have some very good isolation weapons does not mandate that they should be isolating as often as they do. It surely follows that it benefits Leonard and Williams more if they have a roll man that defenders also have to cover, as it means less defensive pressure against them and a better spaced floor all around.
In particular, Williams, great though he is, looks Zubac off quite often - be it with a bounce pass or a lob, perhaps the Zubac option could be employed and implored. Zubac does not have the explosion of Montrezl Harrell, nor it seems the vocal desire to get the ball, but the Clippers know the weapon they have on the move (and increasingly often in the post) with him. Perhaps they should be doing the same with the young Croatian as well.
Zubac also has an important defensive role to play - especially in this Western Conference semi-final series. Notwithstanding awkward moments, he seems to be getting better against Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets every time they play, and although Jokic enjoys the strength advantage (and of course sees every passing angle there is to see), Zubac's activity, length and improved positionality have made him a useful one-on-one defensive option against 'The Joker'.
If the Clippers can defend Jokic one on one, they will not have to send as much help, thus not creating as many passing angles and shooting threats. Zubac is also distinctly quicker than Jokic, allowing him to beat him down the floor and outpace him for offensive rebounds, another key area in which he regularly contributes. These are not things Mike Muscala can do.
To be sure, Zubac is not perfect. Although he has improved his footwork and reads when defending the perimeter, opponents (including Jamal Murray) always try to draw him out there, and he can be foul prone. He wants to drop back defensively, but although he swats a few shots around the basket, he is not an elite rim protector back there either.
Then again, if he is not going to be an elite defender in any area of the court, this in turn perhaps serves as a further argument as to why he should have a bigger offensive role.
Zubac provides for this team on both ends of the court. especially offensively, where he is a bastion of efficiency and deference.
When you have weapons such as Leonard, Williams and George offensively, you want players around them who finish with aplomb and who know what they should be doing. Zubac is one, and so perhaps it is time to trust his patience, hands and touch in the paint and the roll more often.
