ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ivica Zubac will make his debut for the Indiana Pacers against the Phoenix Suns, the team announced on Thursday. Zubac, 28, was originally listed as questionable for Thursday's game; Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Tuesday that Zubac was close to returning from a left ankle sprain suffered in December.

Zubac was traded to the Pacers along with Kobe Brown in a deal that sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and one second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers before this year's trade deadline. 

Zubac had become a reliable role player over the past few seasons for the Clippers. His stock rose further after a breakthrough season last year, when he was named to the second-team NBA All-Defensive team for the first time. Zubac also averaged a career-high 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds last season and finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

While Zubac’s numbers have decreased this season, he still posted a double-double with 14.4 points and 11 rebounds per game in 43 games. Zubac spent his entire career in LA, and was a second-round draft pick for the Lakers in 2016 before being traded to the Clippers in 2019.

Zubac now appears set to be the Pacers' center of the future after the team lost Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency this offseason. He will also team up with Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and forward Pascal Siakam. Siakam was an All-Star this season, while Haliburton has been out so far this season after suffering a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

The Pacers are currently 15-50 and sit last in the Eastern Conference. Using Zubac late in the season, despite their record, might help prevent the Pacers from facing another fine after they were fined along with the Utah Jazz for violating the league's player participation policy.