After the Indiana Pacers traded for Ivica Zubac, fans are excited to see their new starting center make his debut with the team. However, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, Zubac will not play before the All-Star break, and he's likely going to be out "for a while."
"I don't think he's going to play for a while. He's got a lingering ankle situation," Carlisle said about Zubac on 1075 The Fan. "He was injured December 20th, or something like that. Initially, it was deemed to be a four-to-six week injury, but this is a guy who has played 95% of his games since he's been in the NBA. He pushed to come back early; their team was struggling. ... There's some discomfort. There's some swelling."
"At this point, it makes zero sense for him to be out on the floor in an NBA game if he's not feeling as close to 100% as possible. I don't know the timetable. He will not play in these two games, and we'll see what's what when we come out of the break."
Carlisle says that Ivica Zubac will not play either of these two games before the All Star break due to sprained ankle on @1075thefan. pic.twitter.com/z2mvewztFy
— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) February 10, 2026
The Pacers should be as patient as possibe with Ivica Zubac
It's easy to understand why Pacers fans are excited to see Zubac step onto the floor for the team. He's an immediate upgrade at center, and he is going to bring a lot of interior defense and rebounding, which is something they haven't had in a while. But given the team's current state, they need to keep him on the sidelines as much as possible.
One of the biggest reasons some were against Indiana trading for a new center this season as opposed to waiting for the summer was that it could be detrimental to the team's tank.
At this point, the Pacers aren't going to make the playoffs. They are 13-40, and they own the second-worst record in the NBA. Crazier things have happened, but nobody should expect them to even come close to making a postseason appearance this year.
However, given how loaded this year's draft is supposed to be (especially at the top), this is as good a year as any for them to finish near the bottom of the standings and potentially secure a high draft pick. But having Zubac around could make them a bit too good right away, and that's probably not what the Pacers should want at this point.
Additionally, Indiana has already dealt with a handful of injuries this season. Tyrese Haliburton is out for the year with an Achilles injury, and Johnny Furphy will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL. Furthermore, players like Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, and Obi Toppin have all missed a significant amount of time due to injuries this season.
It's clear that the injury bug has hit the Pacers in a big way this year, and putting their new starting center at risk (who is currently dealing with a lingering issue) is far from ideal.
The Pacers and the fans should be thrilled about Zubac's arrival and the prospect of what he brings to the table. Just don't expect to see him on the court anytime soon.