The Index · Live

Ivica Zubac Indiana Pacers · #40

Center · 7-0, 240 lb · Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina · Age 29 · 12th season

Ivica Zubac is a 7-foot Croatian center and longtime LA Clippers starter, drafted 32nd by the Lakers in 2016, who made the 2025 All-Defensive Second Team on the strength of elite rebounding, high-efficiency finishing and rim protection.

MVP race · #333Center rank · #40Balladex Impact · 65
⚖ Quick compare
I
Ivica Zubac
◆ Rated
Indiana Pacers · #40 · Center
Ivica Zubac
Season avg11.6 pts · 7.2 reb · 1.8 ast · .472 fg
Career avg10.5 pts · 8.3 reb · 1.4 ast · .609 fg
Live win probabilitySeason
No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.
Tonight's projectionmodel
11.6pts
7.2reb
1.8ast
LADDER#333 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 65 — Solid starter tierINDEXIvica Zubac · Indiana PacersLADDER#333 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 65 — Solid starter tierINDEXIvica Zubac · Indiana Pacers
Scouting report

Ivica Zubac — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.

C
Rim-Running Center · Rebounder · Impact 65
Ivica Zubac is a 7-foot Croatian center and longtime LA Clippers starter, drafted 32nd by the Lakers in 2016, who made the 2025 All-Defensive Second T
D
Offense
B-
Defense
C-
Feel / IQ
D
Playmaking
Below average creator
tap for the data ↓
C
Scoring
Average scorer
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A
Rebounding
Elite on the glass
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F
3PT / spacing
Below average spacing
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C
Perimeter D
Average on the perimeter
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A-
Paint / rim D
Excellent at the rim
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C
Clutch
Average late
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C+
Athleticism
Strong tools
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C-
Basketball IQ
Reads the game
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F
Durability
Availability
tap for the data ↓
Act II

Where Ivica Zubac stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly
1
Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets▬
43%
2
Giannis Antetokounmpo Miami Heat▬
23%
3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City Thunder▬
19%
4
Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers▬
7%
5
Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers▬
2%
✦ Balladex Consensus: #196 of 384 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.
Futures & chases
—MVP odds
65Impact index
153Star score
Career scoring average10.5 ppg
Seasons in the index12
Accolades on file3
All-Def 2025 Second Team · 60%+ Career FG
Stat explorer

Ivica Zubac — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

C
Scoring
11.6 PPG
drill in ↓
D
Playmaking
1.8 APG
drill in ↓
A
Rebounding
7.2 RPG
drill in ↓
F
Shooting
.000 3P%
drill in ↓
The engine

How the model sees Ivica Zubac

Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2026-27  75% confidence
15.0
pts
13.0–17.0
10.9
reb
9.8–12.0
2.4
ast
1.8–3.0
31.0
min
proj
62
gp
health
.624
fg%
~base
.000
3p%
~base
Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 10-season history below.
What moves the points line vs last season
Last season 14.1 → projected 15.0 PPG
Minutes / role
+0.4
Development (his trend)
+0.3
Age curve
+0.0
Live context
+0.3
Net vs last season+0.9 PPG
Everything it reads
📊
12 seasons of per-minute rates
every box line, minutes-normalized
real
⚖
Recency × games-played weight
recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline
auto
📈
Weighted least-squares trend
his own trajectory, read season over season
+dev
🕰
Per-stat aging curves
age 29 — applied per stat
curve
🔌
Live role context
usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present
+ctx
🏥
Durability signal
GP last 3: 80 / 43 / 5 → games & confidence
health
The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified

Ivica Zubac career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2016-173816.07.54.20.8.529.000
2017-18439.53.72.90.6.500.000
2018-19 (LA Lakers)3315.78.54.90.8.580.000
2018-19 (LA Clippers)2620.29.47.71.5.538.000
2019-207218.48.37.51.1.613.000
2020-217222.39.07.21.3.652.250
2021-227624.410.38.51.6.626.000
2022-237628.510.89.91.0.634.000
2023-246826.411.79.21.4.649.000
2024-258032.816.812.62.7.628.000
2025-26 (LA Clippers)4331.014.411.02.2.613.000
2025-26 (Indiana)523.611.67.21.8.472.000
Career63223.510.58.31.4
Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.
Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.
EraLab · the stat time machinenovel
Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.
—raw PPG
→
—in 2026 pace
why
Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart
Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.
Role simulatorpowered by GM engine
Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.
Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.
Context

Are the Indiana Pacers built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

21–61proj record
#13conf seed
-7.6net rtg
110.2off rtg
117.8def rtg
1%playoff odds
Roster delta · what changed
Drop coverage — Sits the big back to wall off the rim and lives with contested mid-range looks.. Core trending improving. Defensive anchors: Ivica Zubac, Andrew Nembhard.
How his role moves
Projected 21–61, 13th in the East. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.
Balladex Impact
65 of 99
Solid starter tier.
Rarity
◆ Rated
Collectible tier.
Résumé
3 accolades
All-Def 2025 Second Team · 60%+ Career FG · 80 Starts in 2024-25
Act IV

The Ballad of Ivica Zubac

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

March 18, 1997

The beginning

A traditional, high-efficiency center who grew into one of the NBA's best rebounders and drop-coverage defenders, Ivica Zubac anchored the Clippers' frontcourt for the better part of a decade.

Indiana Pacers

Turning pro

Drafted 2016 Round 2, Pick 32 (Los Angeles Lakers) as a Center.

true

Ivica Zubac turned a second-round flier into a decade as one of the NBA's most reliable centers.

Chapter

Drafted 32nd by the Lakers in 2016, he was traded to the Clippers in 2019 and grew from role player to full-time starter.

Chapter

He anchored the Clippers' 2021 Western Conference Finals run and once posted a 31-point, 29-rebound night.

▶
▶
Zubac's story
The documentary, narrated

Off the court

Measurables ESPN
Active
Height
7' 0"
Weight
240 lbs
Experience
11th Season
NBA debut
2016
Draft
2016 Round 2, Pick 32 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Born
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Age
29
Jersey
#40
Off the Court

Zubac is a cousin of former NBA player Zoran Planinić, also from Mostar, and came up through Croatia's junior national teams. He married Kristina Prišč, and the couple welcomed a daughter, Sienna, in 2026.

Known simply as 'Zu' or 'Big Z,' he carries a workmanlike, low-drama reputation built on consistency and durability.

The person

Steady, durable and efficient, Zubac is the model of a modern do-your-job starting center.

Glass CleanerElite interior rebounder who piles up double-doubles.
Efficient FinisherCareer field-goal percentage above 60% around the rim.
Reliable AnchorDurable drop-coverage defender who plays big minutes.
Verified profiles & sources
FAQ

Ivica Zubac — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Ivica Zubac, answered.

Which team drafted Ivica Zubac?
The Los Angeles Lakers, 32nd overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Has Zubac ever been an All-Star or All-NBA?
No. His top individual honor is NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2025.
Where is Ivica Zubac from?
He was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and represents and identifies as Croatian.
What was Zubac's best season?
2024-25 — career highs of 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds across 80 starts, earning All-Defensive Second Team honors.
Ivica Zubac career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.
✦ Companion
Ask about Ivica Zubac

Availability & durability

games played vs season length
Career availability
80%
12 seasons
Last 3 seasons
71%
26 games missed
Games missed
141
career, schedule-adj.
Durability
Some risk
declining
Availability by season
33
18-19 (LA Lakers)
26
18-19 (LA Clippers)
72
19-20
72
20-21
76
21-22
76
22-23
68
23-24
80
24-25
43
25-26 (LA Clippers)
5
25-26 (Indiana)

Some risk. Availability trend is declining — 71% of games over the last three seasons, low of 18% in 2025-26 (Indiana).

Availability = games played ÷ season length (schedule-adjusted for lockout and COVID seasons). A durability signal from real game data, not a medical assessment.

More Indiana Pacers players

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Ivica Zubac head-to-head

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