The Indiana Pacers have, to this point in the season, been the most unlucky team in the NBA with regard to injuries. They have lost more than half their roster for multiple games, including, but not limited to, most of their rotation, namely Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, and Ivica Zubac.
It was Zubac who kicked off the entire cascade of injuries (unless you want to count McConnell, who has yet to play this season) with an ankle sprain suffered against the Brooklyn Nets, which feels like a lifetime ago.
However, if the Pacers' injury report is any indication, Indiana will have the Croatian center back sooner rather than later. Now listed as questionable, it would be a massive boon to get back any capable offensive option, let along someone who could certainly help fix the Pacers' rebounding problem.
While Jay Huff has performed admirably in his absence – and that truthfully may be exaggerating it if you look at the film instead of the box score – Zubac is a considerable upgrade and could be the difference between falling irrevocably behind in the playoff race and treading water.
It would also give Indiana an opportunity to see what a slower offense built around Zubac would look like, should they need some alternate approaches come the postseason.
More than a roller, Zubac can be a playmaking hub on offense
When people watch big men play, they usually have a ton of pre-existing ideas of what they should be. They should be athletic, long, and ever-ambitious in their pursuit of blocking shots around the rim. On offense, they need to fit in as screen setters, usually not taking on any extra opportunities unless they are true stars.
The ideal role-player center for so many fans is a player like Daniel Gafford, who does not play outside of his scope, has a short memory when it comes to being posterized, and has the appropriate vertical to challenge shot attempts and dunk everything.
However, maybe the NBA needs more of the Isaiah Hartenstein types.
While Hartenstein is still a high-level rebounder, his offensive value comes not from his lack of needed usage, but from his on-ball playmaking that opens up shooters and cutters equally. If only Domantas Sabonis could defend a lick, he'd be in this category as well.
In a weird way, Zubac is the final end-point of this thought process, and deserves to be enabled to do so. With no other real options to create with the ball, the Pacers should use Zubac as a playmaker both from the post and on the short roll.
This approach's relative lack of pace, combined with its consistency with the Pacers' approach of "get everyone moving and involved," could make it a perfect off-speed pitch for facing good teams that also want to run all game long.
It's certainly worth a shot with the roster in the state it's in.
Add us as a preferred source on Google