INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 23: Ivica Zubac #40 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on in the … More third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 23, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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It shouldn’t have taken this many years for the LA Clippers’ longest-tenured player, Ivica Zubac, to receive his flowers.
But as they usually say in life … it’s better late than never.
Zubac, approaching 500 career games with the Clippers after an infamous 2019 trade the Lakers wish they could take back, is making a powerful case for the NBA’s defensive accolades that will be voted on in a few weeks.
Sure, Zubac’s offensive surge this season deserves recognition on its own (and he’s been fantastic), but we’ll save that for another time. Just know, there’s only eight centers this year averaging at least 17 points per 36 minutes on 62% true shooting or higher – and Zubac is one of them.
Defensively, he’s still getting overlooked. All these years later.
With the combination of his supreme availability and nearly a decade of experience improving his technique, Zubac has evolved into one of the most reliable bigs in basketball. And it’s that level of availability – having only missed two games this year – that will give him the inside track on the 2025 awards.
Most of the high profile candidates for the defensive awards are now ineligible due to the NBA’s 65-game rule. Victor Wembanyama, who was almost guaranteed to win Defensive Player of the Year, was recently sidelined with a blood clot in his shoulder.
It’s helpful to look at Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), a statistical model from DunksandThrees.com, to gauge who the most impactful defenders have been this season. When you dive into the list, whether it’s due to injuries or the 20-minute threshold that’s required for a game to officially count, the entire top five in EPM can’t be selected for awards.
Zubac is next on the list, tied with Draymond Green:
Defensive EPM leaders, with a red X indicating if they are ineligible for end-of-season awards due … More to games missed
Dunks and Threes
Considering the Timberwolves have taken a step back defensively from last year, voters aren’t likely to give Rudy Gobert the same kind of love they did in the past. He’ll still probably make the All-Defensive team, but his days of taking home Defensive Player of the Year may be done.
With Oklahoma City, currently the best and most aggressive defense in the league by a wide margin, there isn’t just one candidate. There are multiple. But it gets tricky with Alex Caruso, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein all missing too many games. OKC has done it by committee despite the injuries, which is why they’re the West favorites.
Meanwhile, Zubac was already a terrific candidate for defensive accolades before those absences were taken into account. Now, it should be a certainty that he’s headlining the All-Defensive teams and given serious consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.
Plus, there’s a fire inside him this year. One that’s been building for a long time.
In an exclusive interview with Forbes Sports, Zubac acknowledged one of his individual passions is being recognized for his hard work on the defensive end.
For him, the altruistic mentality and team-first attitude will always shine the brightest – and that’s why the Clippers love having him. But there is certainly a sense of pride attached to his defense. When you think back to how most analysts and scouts viewed Zubac nine years ago during his rookie season, it makes perfect sense. He was considered a very raw talent that might never become a meaningful, starting-level big. With that context, Zubac is a poster child for keeping the apology as loud as the disrespect. He just wants the same energy applied to his growth over the years.
“It’s been a goal of mine for a while, just getting on that All-Defensive team,” he said. “Because I pride myself on that end of the floor. Especially coming into the league, when nobody thought I could defend. I think I’ve made a lot of improvements on that end. Thankfully, there was a lot of good defensive teammates I had. Patrick Beverley was also big on me when I got to the Clippers and demanded a lot from me on defense. I learned a lot from him.”
When you dig deeper, it’s astounding Zubac was never honored with an All-Defensive selection.
Although it was always difficult for big men to get recognition when the ballots weren’t positionless, Zubac has consistently been in the mix. His strong defensive presence isn’t some new development.
Every season since 2020, Zubac has finished in the 91st percentile or higher in rim deterrence, per Cleaning The Glass. It’s measured by determining what percentage of the opponent’s shot attempts come at the rim when a certain player is on the floor versus when they sit. For instance, over the last three seasons, Zubac being on the floor has caused opposing teams to decrease their rim attacks by nearly six percentage points – one of the highest figures in the league.
Those possessions will never show up in the stat sheet, or the box score. But they show the amount of respect Zubac has garnered throughout the league. While he’s not blocking shots or rejecting layups into the stands, more players are deciding to avoid combat near the rim. That’s baked into the Clippers’ defensive formula, too, forcing teams into mid-range jumpers and contested threes.
“A big part of it is the highlights,” Zubac said about never being mentioned as an elite defender. “There’s not a lot of defensive highlights for me. I’m not going to have four or five blocks, or whatever. But I’m going to do my stuff on that end. I think I do pretty well in the post, protecting the rim, defensive rebound, and communicating different pick-and-roll coverages. Stuff like that … people don’t see. Unfortunately, it’s that way for people that don’t get highlights. That’s a big part of that – it’s not loud.”
For people that do enjoy the sensation of blocks, though, he’s got you covered:
Maybe the most impressive component of Zubac’s season is his discipline. He’s defending the paint more frequently and prominently than ever before, but his foul rate is currently the lowest of his career. And it’s not close. He’s committing just three fouls per 100 possessions, nearly a 40% decrease from last season.
By improving his timing and verticality, he’s been able to stay out of foul trouble. That’s another feather in his cap when it comes to being reliable.
Don’t get it twisted, either. Guards still try him inside … a ton. Zubac has defended the fourth-most shots at the rim in the league. Here’s the kicker: He’s holding opponents to roughly the same efficiency as Jaren Jackson Jr., but with a lot more volume.
As you can see below, Wembanyama’s elite rim protection (on that kind of volume) was going to make his Defensive Player of the Year case ironclad. With his injury, there can now be debates:
Best rim protectors in basketball, min. 200 shots defended
Through Feb. 27
The Clippers are second in defensive rating with only 24 games remaining. There’s no world in which the second-best defensive unit shouldn’t have a player in the mix for awards. Particularly their defensive anchor who continues to elevate his impact and intelligence on that end.
On average, the Clippers’ opponents are scoring 5.4 points fewer per 100 possessions in the halfcourt with Zubac on the floor compared to when he sits. That differential ranks in the 88th percentile among all NBA players this season. It’s a massive boost from the 61st percentile he finished with last year.
His evolution under head coach Ty Lue and the Clippers’ developmental staff has continued to impress everyone in the organization. It’s why they were ecstatic to re-sign him on a three-year, $59 million extension last summer.
Regarding his biggest improvements from the moment he walked into the Clippers’ facility in 2019, he pointed directly to the mental side.
“I think just experience, patience, basketball IQ and reading the game,” he said. “Just being able to do different coverages and seeing what’s going to happen before it happens. Being the loudest one out there and letting everyone know what’s going on.”
Being vocal is a box every center must check. If they aren’t talking on every possession, they likely won’t play.
Every hyper-aggressive defender that comes through the Clippers facility lauds Zubac for his communication and how adaptable he is as the team’s leader in that area. Derrick Jones Jr. said earlier this season that Zubac is constantly yelling out calls, determining which coverages they will execute on a given possession. Jones, who only had a couple months under his belt playing next to Zubac, spoke about how simple it was for them to develop that on-court trust and understanding while defending certain actions together.
For Zubac, that’s always priority number one during training camp: Put his arm around the new guys on the team, and then start going through defensive reps together. As he explains, there’s a partnership between a perimeter player and big man defensively that has to be smooth. If it’s not, your execution will crumble.
“That’s what I always try to do in the beginning of the season, develop that chemistry on the defensive end with my guards,” Zubac said. “Because everyone runs a lot of pick-and-rolls now and that’s the most important thing to defend. So, just talking and being on the same page with your teammates – sometimes not even talking, just reading each other is really big.”
He’s had plenty of helpful teachers in the past, with each one of them preaching the importance of communication as the back-line defender.
“I played with a lot of good defensive bigs in my Laker days,” Zubac quickly pointed out. “Like Brook Lopez, Andrew Bogut, Tyson Chandler, and LeBron. Then, when I got to the Clippers, we had Joakim Noah was with us for a little bit. He was really big on being loud. All of those guys, they were communicating and making sure everyone knew the coverages we were in.”
At age 28 and squarely in his prime, this season has to feel like a full-circle moment for him. In nine years, Zubac has gone from the young protegee just soaking up information to a vocal leader that can help teach some of those same principles.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 31: Ivica Zubac #40 of the LA Clippers blocks a shot from Brandon … More Miller #24 of the Charlotte Hornets in the first quarter during their game at Spectrum Center on March 31, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
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As he gets older and becomes a seasoned veteran, Zubac is now thinking the game and making sure he’s one step ahead of the competition. That preparation begins with film and homework, learning the tendencies of other players so he’ll have the answers to any test.
“I think what I’ve learned is, just being more locked into your personnel before every game,” he said. “Knowing what (the opponent) likes, which way they like to attack. There’s guys who like to snake the pick-and-roll. There’s guys who, when they come off one way, they’re going all the way (to the rim). When they go the other way, they’ll snake back. So I think knowing my personnel is something I’ve really locked in on since I got to the Clippers.”
Staying dialed into those tendencies is exactly how Zubac has molded into one of the best drop coverage centers in the league. He’s among the league-leaders in contested mid-range attempts because of his impeccable timing, meeting the ball-handler at his destination and being in the right spot 95% of the time.
He’s not limited to just drop coverage, either. Over the last two years, he’s shown the ability to switch onto perimeter players in late-clock situations and hold his own. It’s still not the preferred outcome for the Clippers, but he’s no longer considered a liability in those situations.
With this version of the team focusing more on trapping ball-handlers and forcing turnovers, Zubac has needed to be more alert and mobile than previous years. And he has certainly passed the test.
Heading into this season, another core tenet for the Clippers’ coaching staff was defensive rebounding. The team wasn’t thrilled with finishing 24th in that category last year, and the addition of Jeff Van Gundy on the coaching staff meant they were going to bring a new level of nastiness this time around.
Bodies are expected to be hit every time a shot goes in the air. Box-outs are mandatory. At the end of the day, defensive possessions are only successful if your team closes them out by corralling the rebound.
The Clippers have skyrocketed to first in defensive rebounding, largely due to their Croatian beast. Zubac ranks third in defensive rebound percentage among all heavy rotation players (at least 40 games played and averaging 20-plus minutes). The only two guys above him are Karl Towns and Domantas Sabonis. He’s grabbing 27.2% of the available defensive boards when he’s on the floor, the highest rate of his career.
While he was always a solid rebounder, this is simply another example of him doubling down on his strengths and taking them to the next level.
As he tells me, there’s always going to be room for improvement each year. Or, in some cases, more instances of evolving his defense to counter what the opponent is doing.
“Every year, it gets tougher and tougher,” Zubac said. “I was just talking to [Van Gundy] a few days ago about how the league is evolving. Most of the nights now, there’s at least one stretch big on every team. We got to have different stuff for that, and be ready for that. I have to be up to touch (on screens), I have to be closer to my guy. I can’t just roam around and forget about my guy because now, a lot of them can shoot at my position. So, the league is evolving and it’s tougher for sure. But that’s where having basketball IQ and knowing where you got to be. Positioning is very important.”
It’s the perfect storm of his never-satisfied, always-hungry mentality and the deep level of trust he’s developed with the Clippers since 2019 that’s unlocked this dominant version of himself.
Despite not making the All-Star team, Zubac is the MVP of the Clippers’ season and should be named to the All-Defensive First Team if this production continues.