The Indiana Pacers were forced to watch the team that they handled in the Eastern Conference Finals just one season ago break their 53-year-long championship drought. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the New York Knicks' historic five-game triumph over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals certainly stung for the Pacers' fanbase, but it also provided a clear path forward for the franchise, and specifically for Ivica Zubac.
After an unexpectedly dominant defensive showing against the Spurs' 7-foot-4 superstar from the outset, Towns helped New York capture a 2-0 series lead and was the early subject of Finals MVP debates. By the time the final buzzer sounded to end Game 5, Towns had seemingly completed a long-overdue evolution through his incredible two-way play, holding one of the most imposing big-man talents the game has ever seen to a putrid 46.6 effective field goal percentage for the series.
While Towns' development might be viewed as a threat to Indiana's title chances next season, it will also give Zubac a golden opportunity to prepare for the Spurs as much as possible. San Antonio will present plenty of matchup difficulties for Indiana outside of the 2-time All-Star center, but a summer devoted to analyzing Towns' performance and Wemby's pain points could allow the 2025 All-Defensive Second Team selection, Zubac, to Wembanyama-proof the Pacers' defense.
Ivica Zubac can learn from Karl-Anthony Towns' defensive masterclass
Though the Knicks finally broke through to claim the 2026 NBA title, their Brunson-led core has yet to defeat a healthy Tyrese Haliburton-led Pacers squad in a playoff setting. With this in mind, it's not a stretch to imagine that the Pacers' primary concern heading into the 2026-27 campaign will be Zubac's ability to contain Wembanyama in a potential Finals matchup.
Thankfully, Towns handed Zubac and the Pacers the answers to the test before the bell rang and class was dismissed for the 2025-26 season. To start, Towns immediately made Wembanyama uncomfortable by forcing him to stay away from the painted area and settle for long jump shots. Wemby was unable to create many advantages in one-on-one attacks against Towns and struggled against his physicality.
Plenty of other defensive-minded centers in the association possess Towns' mix of strength and athleticism, but his lateral quickness set him apart throughout the Finals. This is an area that Zubac will need to improve this offseason to keep up with the massive strides Wembanyama uses to put pressure on the basket.
Fortunately for the Pacers, Zubac's foundation is that of an All-Defensive-caliber rim protector. At his core, he's already extremely qualified to take on the Wembanyama matchup. Zubac's foot speed and agility are both solid physical traits that already allow him to cover plenty of space near the rim.
A run to the NBA Finals for Indiana in 2027 would largely result from Zubac's sensational two-way impact. Still, taking home the title could manifest itself through the work he can put in this offseason to prepare for the Spurs' vengeance-seeking superstar.
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