Ivica Zubac Returns to the Court Just in Time to Join the Pacers' Sinking Ship
Underdog NBA reported Zubac is listed as available to play Wednesday.
Ivica Zubac has officially been cleared to play Wednesday after dealing with an ankle injury, which is great news for anyone who desperately needed a reason to watch the Indiana Pacers. Underdog NBA confirmed the big man is good to go, ending a brief stint on the league's most crowded injury report.
Returning to the court is usually a triumphant moment, but coming back to this current Pacers squad feels like volunteering to help rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic. Indiana is currently sitting on a 15-54 record and riding a 14-game losing streak that has completely vaporized whatever was left of their season.
Zubac arrived at the trade deadline and has been one of the few functional pieces in the rotation. He is averaging 10 points and seven rebounds in about 24 minutes per game since putting on the Pacers uniform.
The reality is that Zubac is walking back into a locker room that looks more like a triage center. With Tyrese Haliburton out with an Achilles tear and Pascal Siakam sidelined by a knee sprain, the starting lineup is practically unrecognizable from the group that made a deep playoff run last summer.
For the sickos still firing off prop bets on a Wednesday night in the dregs of the regular season, Zubac immediately becomes the focal point of the frontcourt. He is going to get all the usage he can handle simply because there is nobody else left to take the shots.
The Pacers are just trying to survive the final stretch of the schedule without suffering any more casualties. Zubac getting back on the floor helps them look like a real basketball team again, but the only thing this franchise is actually playing for is lottery positioning.