Los Angeles Lakers rising center Ivica Zubac has made significant strides in his third season in the NBA. Certainly, this has not gone unnoticed by head coach Luke Walton.
Walton said that Zubac has earned himself a bigger role and more minutes due to his better and more consistent play, per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints:
Luke Walton on Ivica Zubac: “He’searned a bigger role, bigger minutes. For a team that struggles to knock down free throws, most nights he’s earned the right to be in the game just by the way that he shoots free throws." #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 22, 2019
The Lakers have needed every bit of production from everybody, as they have been hit hard by the injury bug lately. Thus, Walton has to be pleased to see Zubac's development and growth in this period.
Lakers veteran big men Tyson Chandler and JaVale McGee have been relatively healthy. However, this has not prevented Walton from going to the 22-year-old Croatian.
Zubac played sparingly over the first 28 games of the season, but has since been a staple in the rotation, seeing spot minutes here and there. He even started a few games when McGee missed some time in late December.
On the season, Zubac is averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game over 27 appearances. But over his past three games, his minutes have gone up to 23.4 per game, as Walton's trust in the big man is slowly growing. Over that stretch, Zubac is averaging 20.3 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting an absurd 82.1 percent from the field and 93.8 percent from the stripe.
While the numbers speak volumes of Zubac's development, Walton did point out his improvement and consistency in doing the little things, such as setting screens and being more vocal on the court:
Luke Walton on Ivica Zubac: "He’s doing all the little things better right now-he’s setting screens more consistently, he’s talking coverages out…He’s doing all of those little things better. He’s earned more minutes and we’ll continue to play him in a bigger role.” #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 22, 2019
Zubac has always shown flashes of brilliance, even in his first two seasons in the league. But he has struggled to get significant minutes due to inconsistent play.
Now, under the bright lights of L.A., especially with LeBron James in town, Ivica Zubac has a chance to make a name for himself. Consistency is key for young big man.
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