New Pacer Ivica Zubac has an ankle injury, debut will be delayed
· Yahoo Sports
MILWAUKEE -- Newly acquired PacersIvica Zubac and Kobe Brown won't join the team until they complete physicals, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, and neither one will play until at least Tuesday against the Knicks in New York. Carlisle said Zubac could take a little longer, both because he's dealing with an ankle injury and because he's on paternity leave.
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"It's more likely that his debut with us -- assuming everything goes through -- will probably be delayed because he had an ankle thing that happened in December," Carlisle said in his pregame press conference Friday before the Pacers' game against the Bucks. "It's kind of yo-yo'd a little bit. So my understanding from talking to him is that there's still something there that's not quite right. We're not going to put him out there until he's really ready. He's a guy that has played 94 or 95% of his games through his career and I'm presuming that's because he's always raring to go through things. That's not going to be an option here."
The Pacers acquired Zubac and Brown on Thursday in a trade with the Clippers just before the NBA trade deadline. The Pacers sent guard Bennedict Mathurin and center Isaiah Jackson to Los Angeles along with a protected 2026 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round draft pick and an unprotected 2029 first-round draft pick.
The Pacers desperately needed Zubac to fill the void they've had at center since losing Myles Turner to the Bucks in free agency. He's averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this season, ranking fifth in the NBA in rebounding and he has appeared in 43 of the Clippers' 50 games.
However, the conditions the Pacers have on their 2026 draft pick do not necessarily incentivize them winning games. If they get pick 1-4 in the NBA draft lottery or pick 10-30, they get to keep the pick and then send their 2031 draft pick to the Clippers. However, if they end up with pick 5-9, the pick goes to Los Angeles. The Pacers are currently 13-38 and have the third-worst record in the NBA with only the Kings (12-40) and Pelicans (13-40) having worse records. The Nets (13-36), Wizards (14-36) and Jazz (16-35) all have similar marks. The first four picks are assigned through the lottery and picks 5-14 are given out in reverse order of record beyond that. Having one of the three worst records gives teams the best possible odds at the No. 1 overall pick at 14%.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ivica Zubac injury update: New Pacers C is out due to an ankle injury