– Ivica Zubac
The Lakers have made some changes to their starting lineup after the dreadful loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luke Walton decided to make the switch to Tyson Chandler in the starting lineup, as the slow starts were hurting the Lakers.
While the Lakers didn’t get off to great starts against the Chicago Bulls or the Oklahoma City Thunder, they did win both games with the new lineup.
However, against the Thunder, the Lakers did have one of their centers set up, and it was Ivica Zubac. In a tough matchup against Steven Adams, Zubac won the battle for the Lakers. In the win, Zubac totaled a big double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes.
What was really impressive about Zubac’s game was the fact that he missed just two shots. Even for a low-post center, this was extremely impressive against another talented center in Adams.
Against the Rockets, it will be interesting to see how much the Lakers use a center. Without Capela, the Rockets have been playing small lineups, and the use of the Lakers big men will be interesting to monitor if the Rockets play small. If Zubac gets minutes in this game, he will have a big advantage on whoever the Rockets throw on him in the post.