The moment Ivica Zubac realized in his downtime that making an All-Defensive team was a realistic goal, he wasted no time in adding that to his NBA bucket list. He worked incredibly hard and significantly improved every defensive metric possible in the LA Clippers\u2019 team statistics, leaving the proof in the pudding as one of the best anchors in the NBA.<\/p>\n
The end of the year came, and the fanbase could not have been more excited for Big Zu<\/a>, as he deserved the All-Defensive second-team honor more than anyone in the league. He had come such extravagant distances, and to hear his name called on the big stage must have been a joy to himself, his family, and the brotherhood he had found in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Conversely, an all-defensive honor was likely only one of the many accomplishments Zubac hopes to achieve before he retires from the game. Some of the other ones, which may take longer than others, could be an MVP.<\/p>\n Moreover, one award that he was close to reaching last season was the NBA\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year. Evan Mobley took the hardware home to Cleveland, but the Clippers\u2019 star big man came in sixth place. Thus, these results indicate that if Zubac continues to improve<\/a>, his chances of winning the high stature only increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, someone who was out of the discussion but could turn this award into collectibles every season is Victor Wembanyama, and his skill set will force fans of the Clippers to accept a hard truth.<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama will be playing keep away with Ivica Zubac for the NBA\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year trophy<\/p>\n Last season, Victor Wembanyama played 46 games. That is significantly less than everyone in the conversation for Defensive Player of the year, yet he still led the NBA in total blocks and had the highest average for blocks per game.<\/p>\n