No player on ClutchPoints' NBA Top 100 rankings made a bigger stride than Los Angeles Clippers' Ivica Zubac this season. Clippers' Zubac went from unranked to No. 39 after his breakout 2024-25 season, when he reached career highs in points (16.8), rebounds (12.6), assists (2.7), and steals (0.7) per game.
Zubac's big leap in ClutchPoints' NBA Top 100 rankings is bigger than Miami Heat's Tyler Herro, who jumped from No. 73 to 43. Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson was also unranked last season and made the third-biggest jump to No. 44. Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels is another player who earned a spot at No. 54 after he wasn't ranked in last year's list.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves made the fifth-highest leap from No. 94 to No. 60 as the Lakers will look to make a deep playoff run in 2026. ClutchPoints' NBA Top 100 rankings list the best players ahead of the upcoming regular season.
Brian Windhorst's Ivica Zubac prediction before Clippers season
Clippers center Ivica Zubac's impressive season didn't go unnoticed as he earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2024-25. While averaging 16.8 points on 62.8% shooting and 12.6 rebounds, Zubac also posted 1.1 blocks per game last season. His role has been defined as the Clippers' defensive anchor for head coach Tyronn Lue. However, it's a role that has evolved ahead of the upcoming season.
Zubac will take on an increased role as part of the Clippers' offensive attack in 2025-26, which, Brian Windhorst said, will lead to Zubac's first All-NBA selection, per ESPN's Hoop Collective.
“I’m going to tell you something else. Ivica Zubac is going to make All-NBA,” Windhorst said. “Yes, he is. Zubac looks awesome.”
Windhorst is confident that the 10-year center's increased role in the Clippers' offense will lead to his breakout season.
“I’m telling you,” Windhorst added. “They’re running stuff through him.”
Zubac has never earned an All-Star selection during his decade-long NBA career. After earning a starting job for the Clippers in 2020-21, Zubac has evolved into a double-double averaging center (16.8 points/12.6 rebounds). He's also one of the NBA's better defensive centers, earning his first All-Defensive Team selection.
The Clippers will look to make a deep playoff push this upcoming season, and Zubac will have a big part in that.
