The Los Angeles Clippers announced Sunday that starting center Ivica Zubac will be reevaluated in three weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
Zubac left Saturday’s 103-88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter and didn’t return after hobbling off the court.
t’s a major loss for a 7-21 Clippers team that has been one of the NBA’s biggest disappointments this season. Zubac, 28, is averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 points, 2.5 assists and a block per game in 2025-26, shooting 60.9 percent from the field.
He’s been one of the few bright spots for a team that has already endured the Chris Paul saga, Kawhi Leonard’s carefully-managed workload and injury issues, Bradley Beal’s season-ending hip injury and a number of other knocks that have limited the team’s depth.
Zubac has been pretty durable throughout his career, appearing in 68 or more contests in six straight seasons coming into 2025-26 while developing a reputation as a tough matchup for opposing centers.
“Zu is a dog, man,” Lakers center Jaxson Hayes told reporters on Saturday morning. “He’s, honestly, I feel like one of the most slept-on bigs in the league, man. If you play him, you know he’s like that. Zu has been like that for years.”
Brook Lopez will slide into the starting lineup while Zubac is out, though the team’s center options beyond that aren’t great. Head coach Tyronn Lue will likely experiment with reserve lineups as the team tries to claw its way out of the massive hole it dug for itself.