The Los Angeles Clippers have been rolling this season despite the injuries they've had to deal with, but they could very well be getting some much-needed frontcourt help in the form of Ivica Zubac.
Zubac, who has been out since January 12th with a right calf strain, has been upgraded to ‘Questionable' ahead of the Clippers upcoming contest against the Miami Heat on Sunday.
Ivica Zubac (calf) has been upgraded to QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow's game against the Heat.
Paul George is not listed on the Clippers injury report.
Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and everyone else is good to go.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 3, 2024
The Clippers big man has missed the last nine games as he recovered from the effects of a right calf strain suffered sometime in early January. According to Zubac, who spoke exclusively with ClutchPoints following the calf strain he sustained, the injury popped up after the Clippers' road win against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 12th.
“I felt some pain after the Memphis Grizzlies game [on Friday night], but it was not a lot,” Ivica Zubac told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “And then the next day I didn't feel anything. So, you know, nothing was out of character, nothing was different.
“I was just trying to get ready for the [Wolves] game and when I got out on the court for the pregame warmups, that's when I felt it. I started moving a little bit, I started feeling a sharp pain. I tried to [warm up]. Then we came out for the layup lines, and the medical staff came out with me to put me through some different motions and stuff to see if I can go and, you know, I tried it, but it didn't work. So that was a late scratch for the game and I thought I was good, you know, it's nothing major, but we did an MRI and here we are.”
It was announced on January 16th that Zubac would be re-evaluated in four weeks. This upcoming Tuesday marks three weeks since the team released that update on the big man, who joined the team on their road trip on Wednesday when the Clippers took on the Washington Wizards.
Zubac being able to travel was a great sight, but being able to return over a week ahead of schedule would really change the dynamic of the Clippers once again, especially defensively.
Daniel Theis started the first game where Zubac was out as an extremely late scratch, but Mason Plumlee has started eight straight games for the Clippers. If he's able to return against the Heat, which is the front-end of a back-to-back set that includes the Atlanta Hawks, he will have missed a total of nine games due to this injury.
In eight games as a starter, Mason Plumlee has averaged 7.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 63.2 percent shooting. Plumlee has filled in admirably for Zubac, as has Theis.
Zubac has dealt with calf injuries throughout his career, but he's never needed to miss more than six games in a season since joining the Clippers. Since his arrival during the 2018-19 season, the Clippers have a 222-138 record in the 360 games that Zubac has played in, which is good for a 61.8 winning percentage. Over 82 games, that would amount to a 50-win season.
When it was first announced that the Clippers would be without their “Iron Man” for a couple weeks, Tyronn Lue said it would be an adjustment.
“It's different because you're always used to big Zu being on the floor,” Tyronn Lue explained. “He has always been reliable and has always been an Iron Man, like you said, always available and so to miss this much time, an extended period of time, it's going to be hard on us, but more so it's hard on him. He wants to be out there and so I just feel bad for Zu.”
In 38 appearances this year, Ivica Zubac is averaging 12.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game on 65.5 percent shooting from the field.
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