Ivica Zubac's Ankle Injury Derails His Monster Start to the Season
Status alert: Ivica Zubac (ankle) won't return Sunday.
is officially done for Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets after rolling his ankle on Kelly Oubre's foot, turning a promising start to the season into an immediate headache for the .
The big man tried to tough it out for a few possessions before waving the white flag and limping back to the locker room. If you were holding a Zubac double-double ticket or relying on him to anchor your fantasy rebounding category this week, that early exit sound you hear is your money evaporating.
This is a brutal momentum killer for a guy who was eating glass to start the year. Zubac opened the season with a massive 16-point, 15-rebound performance against the New Orleans Pelicans, followed by an 11-rebound night against the Dallas Mavericks. He was finally looking like the perfect traditional center fit to anchor Tyrese Haliburton's track-meet offense.
Now, the have to dig into the emergency big-man committee. Relying on a rotation of Larry Nance, Jay Huff, and Obi Toppin to protect the rim is like trying to patch a leaky submarine with wet paper towels. It might look okay for a minute, but the math is going to catch up to you fast.
Zubac has a frustrating history of lower-body issues, including multiple ankle sprains that derailed his 2025-26 campaign. Indiana will likely send him for imaging on Monday to figure out if this is a day-to-day tweak or a multi-week absence. Until then, expect the to play even faster and smaller, which should send opposing centers' rebound props straight to the moon.