The LA Clippers flamed out of the 2025 NBA playoffs with a first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, but their star trio of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac showed promise of more to come.
Of course, Leonard and Harden are both aging, so the Clippers went all-in this offseason to help them become a legitimate title contender next year. The Clippers added Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul to bolster their star-studded lineup, but their original trio will still be the most important players on the team.
Nov 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1, left) and center Ivica Zubac (40, center) and Kawhi Leonard (right) watch a game from the bench during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Since he signed with the team in the 2019 offseason, Leonard has been the face of the Clippers as they try to get over the hump. After he returned from injury last season, it felt like they were certainly good enough to get there, especially due to the emergence of Ivica Zubac.
Zubac, 28, burst onto the scene as one of the NBA’s top big men last season, going largely unrecognized by national media through the first eight years of his career. Last season, Zubac averaged 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.8% from the field.
If Zubac can have another productive season like he did in 2024-25, or potentially an even better one, then the Clippers will be in an incredible position to contend for a title.
Ivica Zubac was a FORCE in the paint last season.
🏀 League leader in total rebounds
🏀 All-Defensive Second Team
🏀 Career-high 16.8 PPG and 12.6 RPG
🏀 62.8% from the floor
The Kia MIP runner-up is key to the @LAClippers success! pic.twitter.com/C52Bib2zSa
— NBA (@NBA) August 9, 2025
Zubac finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and earned All-Defensive Second Team, but the seven-footer from Bosnia and Herzegovina could have higher hopes for his 2025-26 campaign.
Last season, Zubac finished 12th in All-Star voting of Western Conference frontcourt players, which did not even put him close to making the All-Star Game. However, now that he has been in the eye of the national media for an entire season, he should have a better shot next year.
NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner revealed ten players who could be first-time All-Stars in 2026, and he named Zubac as one of them.
“The 7-footer from Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a prorated double-double machine for most of his NBA career, but it was in his ninth season that he played enough minutes in enough games to hit those numbers (16.8 ppg, 12.6rpg) for real. He led the league in both offensive and defensive rebounds, and was an All-Defensive second-teamer,” Aschburner wrote.
Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Zubac could, hypothetically, make the All-Star team next year, but there is far too much talent in the Western Conference to pencil him in. Zubac would need to have an incredible season, and the Clippers would need to be at the top of the West for him to be strongly considered. Realistically, Zubac will not be an All-Star next season, but he could get some recognition.