The Indiana Pacers gave up a lot to get Ivica Zubac last season. A first-round pick in this year’s draft, to be exact. That pick ended up at No. 5 overall, which means the Los Angeles Clippers are about to add a top-five talent to their roster while the Pacers watch from the sidelines.
So yeah, the pressure is on Zubac to make that trade look smart.
The big man only played limited minutes after arriving in Indiana midway through last season, which was always going to be a challenge. Learning a new system on the fly, trying to build chemistry with Tyrese Haliburton and company while the playoffs loomed. Not exactly ideal conditions.
But Zubac says that short stint was actually valuable. He got a feel for how the Pacers want to play, even if he didn’t get tons of court time to show it.
“Definitely helped with getting a feel for how this team wants to play, about the pace, about defensive coverages, the defensive rotations,” Zubac said, according to Tony East of Circle City Spin. “Offensively, where they want me to be, what they want me to do. So it definitely helped.”
Now he has a full offseason to work with that knowledge. And he’s making a pretty bold promise about what comes next.
Zubac’s offseason mission
The 7-footer said he’s got a clear idea of what the coaching staff wants from him, and he plans to use the summer to transform his body.
“I kind of understood what they want from me, and got the whole summer to get in the best shape of my life and get ready for the next year,” Zubac said.
That’s the kind of quote that Pacers fans want to hear. Especially after watching their team come up just short in the 2025 NBA Finals. The core from that run is still mostly intact. Haliburton is still running the show. Pascal Siakam is still there. Myles Turner is still around, though Zubac’s arrival could mean a shift in how the frontcourt minutes get distributed.
Zubac gives Indiana something it hasn’t had much of in recent years: a true bruising center who can body up opposing bigs, rebound in traffic, and finish around the rim without needing the ball in his hands for long. He’s not a stretch five by any means, but he doesn’t need to be. The Pacers have enough shooting around him.
The question is whether he can stay on the floor in playoff matchups. Teams used to hunt him in pick-and-roll situations when he was with the Clippers, and the Eastern Conference is loaded with guards who can pull him away from the basket. But if he really does show up in the best shape of his life, with improved mobility and conditioning, that concern might fade.
Indiana didn’t get a lottery pick this year. They gave that up. But they got a 28-year-old center who’s been a double-double threat for years, and they’re betting he can be the missing piece. Zubac seems to understand the stakes. Now it’s about whether he can deliver.
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