Los Angeles Lakers big man Ivica Zubac has seen a significant uptick in his minutes over the last couple of weeks, and he has delivered, coming through with a pair of double-doubles and stellar overall play.
The 21-year-old has not done it without help, however, and he credits veteran centers Tyson Chandler and JaVale McGee for making the process easier for him, according to Lakers beat writer Mike Trudell:
“Yes, for sure. JaVale, at the beginning of the season when I was not playing and we were not doing good, told me ‘I know you’re not happy with being on the bench, but you gotta work, you gotta stay ready because we’re gonna need you,’” said Zubac.
Zubac added that McGee would do conditioning with him after practice.
As for Chandler? Zubac says the former Defensive Player of the Year has helped him a lot in regard to setting good screens:
“Angles of setting screens,” he said. “I always thought, you only have to hit a guy, but he explained to me about angles, so that helps. Then a lot of stuff on defense. Positioning of the guards on screens, or where I should be on pick and rolls. Who can I help off, and stuff like that.”
Ivica Zubac is in his second season. In 16 games this year, he is averaging 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, but over his last five contests, the Bosnian is registering 13.2 points, 6.8 boards and 1.6 blocks a night. He is also shooting 60.4 percent from the floor over that span.
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