Los Angeles Lakers: Is it time to give up on Ivica Zubac

With a lack of big man depth on this Los Angeles Lakers roster, this can be Ivica Zubac’s chance to bounce back and have a breakout season.

After being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2016 with the 32nd overall pick, the Lakers thought they had gotten yet another diamond in the rough in Croation Center, Ivica Zubac.

From the start, Zubac was going to be a project player. He had a soft touch around the rim, and a decent mid-range jumper to boot.

But after a promising rookie campaign where he averaged 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16 minutes of play, Zubac’s numbers dropped across the board in his sophomore season. Last season, he averaged a middling 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in only 9.5 minutes.

It wasn’t all Zubac’s fault, however, as Luke Walton often opted for more small-ball, uptempo lineups which usually featured Julius Randle as the 5-man. When the Lakers weren’t going small, Brook Lopez soaked up the rest of the center minutes.

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So after two disappointing seasons of play, the question has to be asked, should the Lakers give up on Zubac?

My answer? Absolutely not.

Going into the 2018-2019 season, however, Zubac will have plenty of opportunities to regain his place in the pecking order. The Lakers have a massive hole in their big man rotation and have resorted to playing Kyle Kuzma and Michael Beasley at the 5 during the past couple of preseason games.

That simply isn’t going to be a viable option during the regular season when they have to go up against the likes of Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Marc Gasol.

Zubac has taken note of his lack of playing time, which has motivated him to come into training camp in the best shape possible. When asked about his offseason training by Silver Screen and Roll’s Harrison Faigan, Zubac was quick to comment on how hard he worked this summer.

"“Even when I was not here, I was with my national team back home, and I worked almost every day this summer. I improved a lot physically,” Zubac said. “I’m ready for this season.””I’m much better at running the floor offensively and defensively and just helping everybody on defense. I feel much more explosive and aggressive and it’s much easier to get off the ground,” Zubac said, changes he said will help him protect the rim and keep players from getting there as easily."

Zubac will only be 21 years old heading into the season. That makes him younger than Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. He has made tremendous efforts to increase his conditioning and has slimmed down in an effort to keep up with Luke Walton’s uptempo offense.

Lakers forward Brandon Ingram had this to say about Zubac, per Silver Screen And Roll.

"“He’s really strong down low. Rebounding the basketball, rolling. He’s one of our best screeners as a big man,” Ingram said. “When he comes into the game, he’s very smart, he can pass the basketball and he has a soft touch.”"

Zubac has a big body and is great at trapping players on screens, something the Lakers sorely need to get their shooters good looks. He’s also good in the pick-and-roll and will be playing alongside two of the best pick-and-roll playmakers in LeBron James and Rajon Rondo.

If there ever was a year for Zubac to break out, it’s going to be this year. All of the elements are in place for him to break out, and now it’s up to Zubac to take advantage of this opportunity.

All stats acquired by Basketball-Reference.