Why Ivica Zubac Changes Everything for the Pacers

And here’s the thing we almost never saw in Indiana over the last several years: the Pacers actually ran offense through a center in the post.

Multiple times against Phoenix and New York, Zubac caught the ball on the block and immediately drew attention. He not only drew double teams, but sometimes even a third defender shading over. Think about that for a second. When was the last time Myles Turner was doubled in the post? When was the last time Indiana even called a true post-up for him against another center? Exactly.

The attention Zubac commands opens everything up. Once the doubles arrive, that’s where his passing shows up. He’s not just reacting to the defense, he manipulates it. If he senses the help defender creeping over, he’ll casually dribble a step or two away from the pressure, creating a little pocket of space for cutters to slide through. It’s subtle, but it’s veteran stuff. High-level awareness.

And we’ve already seen it pay off.

Early in the New York game, the Pacers ran a set where Zubac caught the ball high and fired a perfect bounce pass to Aaron Nesmith, who had half a step on Mikal Bridges and flushed a dunk down with authority. Later, Zubac whipped a cross-court pass from the left wing to Andrew Nembhard, who was all alone in the opposite corner for three. Nembhard missed it, but the read and the delivery were perfect.

Honestly, it’s the kind of passing Indiana hasn’t seen from a big since Domantas Sabonis.

Then there’s the vertical element.

Against Phoenix, Zubac showed he’s a legitimate lob threat — something the Pacers really haven’t had at center in a long time. Turner never played that way, and Sabonis wasn’t really a rim-runner either. You probably have to go all the way back to Ian Mahinmi for the last Pacers big who could punish defenses by exploding up for pick-and-roll lobs.

And the rebounding? That’s where Zubac really feels different.

He’s a brute on the glass. The last Pacers center who attacked rebounds with this kind of physicality might honestly be Jeff Foster. Sabonis was a great rebounder in his own way, but Zubac does it with pure force. He moves bodies, carves out space, and grabs everything in his area.

Now, Mitchell Robinson gave him problems on the boards in the Knicks game, and Zubac admitted afterward that if he’d done a better job there, Indiana might have won. Fair enough. But even on a night he felt he didn’t play well, it was obvious: this is the most physical rebounder the Pacers have had in years. Opponents know it too — they’re constantly bumping him, hitting him, doing whatever they can to keep him from dominating the glass.

The other thing that stands out is how low-maintenance his offense is.

Unlike Sabonis, Zubac doesn’t need the ball to be effective. He scores within the flow off rolls, seals, dump-offs, and offensive rebounds. And defensively, he isn’t a liability. Teams will still test him in pick-and-roll coverage, but his recovery speed is noticeably better than Sabonis’ was, and he’s a legitimate rim protector.

He also compensates for what he lacks in foot speed with anticipation and positioning. That’s just basketball IQ.

And remember: these were his first two games with a new team, in a new system, after not playing for more than six weeks. The conditioning, the timing, the chemistry — all of that is going to improve. When it does, the defensive presence that once earned him All-Defensive recognition should start to show up more consistently.

The one piece we haven’t really seen yet? The shooting.

Almost all of Zubac’s attempts so far have come within eight to ten feet. But before the trade there was talk that he might experiment with adding the three-point shot to his game. If that ever becomes a real part of his arsenal, that’s when things could get really interesting.

Because when you look at his skill set, it almost feels like he’s borrowing traits from a bunch of Pacers centers who came before him:

If he ever shoots threes at a league-average rate, then you could finally throw Myles Turner into that comparison list too.

However it plays out, one thing is clear: Indiana made a major move trading for the Croatian big man. Whether the Pacers keep their 2026 first-round pick or not, Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan, and Ted Wu targeted a center whose game might be ready to unlock in ways we haven’t fully seen yet.

And the wild part? I’m already this convinced about Zubac, and he hasn’t even played a single minute yet with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.

That’s when the real fun might start.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.