Have the Los Angeles Lakers Already Found Their Center of the Future?

Exiting his first NBA season, Ivica Zubac appears primed for success. But it’s more the sum of all parts rather than any one mind-boggling factor.

The 32nd overall draft pick for the Los Angeles Lakers at 19, Zubac endeared himself to fans right from the start.

“This is my dream come true,” the Croatian said, per Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com. “I cannot believe this is happening because the Lakers were my No. 1 team since I started playing basketball. Kobe [Bryant] was my favorite player, so I’m so happy right now.”

The fledgling center showed his promise as a rim protector during summer league, swatting 2.6 shots per game. But the start of the official season found the prospect largely watching from the bench. New head coach Luke Walton supplemented the tall teen’s experience with D-League assignments—Zubac appeared in 14 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, averaging 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 30.1 minutes per outing.

By the time March rolled along, Zubac—freshly turned 20—had replaced lumbering goliath Timofey Mozgov in the starting lineup. Granted, the team was long out of the playoff picture by that point with veterans being shelved to more fully develop a lineup loaded with youngsters.

Zubac sat out the final seven games with a high ankle sprain. But he showed enough during his rookie campaign to suggest a major role in the immediate future.

Youth

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Zubac is introduced to some Lakers hardware after being drafted.

It's high time for the Lakers to have a quality center that’s young and blossoming. Recent starters like Mozgov and Roy Hibbert are prime examples of players on declining arcs.

Enter a kid with the most upside since L.A. drafted teenaged Andrew Bynum in 2005. Plus, Zubac hasn’t yet flashed the type of severe warning signs that radiated from Bynum’s quickly crumbling knees.

This is a team built on the youth movement—Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. are all 24 or younger. The Lakers also have the No. 2 and No. 28 picks in the upcoming NBA draft.

And while it’s true the team will need established impact players to make the playoffs next season, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) makes it easier for organizations to keep their own players, including cultivating prospects for the future. Zubac’s salary for the coming season is just $1,081,529, per Spotrac, and he won’t be a restricted free agent until 2019.

Watching the young center lope down the court, there’s a perception of a work-in-progress that is growing by leaps and bounds—even with a coltish uncertainty that can be evident at times.

The Lakers have gotten in on the ground floor with a player who is all about upside. They’ll take full advantage of that going forward.

Size

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It looks like Zubac could almost dunk flat-footed.

It may be true that the NBA is no longer a league dominated by giants, but there’s still a place for really tall players, as long as magnitude is accompanied by talent and skill.

Listed at 7'1" and 265 pounds with a reported 7'4" wingspan, Zubac has tremendous size, as well as good mobility. He’s not necessarily a soaring, high-flying act, but he’s not earthbound, either. Instead, he combines a deceptive fluidity with solid fundamentals—boxing out, backing down opponents, setting screens and displaying an innate ability to block or otherwise alter shots.

During an interview with Mike Trudell for Lakers Voices, Zubac mentioned his priorities for the summer—conditioning and adding strength. He said he came into training camp at 282 and is now 258, close to his target goal. He was also at the top of the leaderboard for workouts throughout the season under then-Lakers Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim DiFrancesco.

Zubac spoke about increasing his speed and leaping ability, too, citing the need to switch onto guards who will quickly step back and try to get a shot off.

Looking ahead, it’s not at all hard to see the Lakers increasing Zubac’s role within big lineups while continuing to tinker with Randle, Nance and Tarik Black at the 5 in small-ball rotations.

With big, soft hands, a nice scoring touch and impressive court vision for his age, Zubac will likely gobble up Mozgov’s minutes next season (if the big Russian is still on the team).

Team Chemistry

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Larry Nance Jr. holds Zubac back during a squabble with the Milwaukee Bucks.

A player’s presence can often be an X-factor, both on court and off. This can be especially true with a rebuilding team that’s heavy in the loss column. Fortunately, Zu has endeared himself to teammates.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the rookie’s a pushover. He’s actually a dude with a wry sense of humor and a competitive edge.

Teammate Metta World Peace has seen all kinds of players over the course of his career, and he held forth on the young center, per Louis Keene of Vice Sports:

"

He gained our respect. Young kid come from overseas, accent a little different—we imitate him a lot. He takes it and he performs under that pressure. We'll joke, call him Zu-back, Tupac, like we do all the rookies; as a veteran you pick out something that can make them upset and you see where their mind is at. He got assh--e in him, and you know what? You need that.

"

Larry Nance Jr. often refers to himself as Zubac’s father. Asked about that by Trudell in the Lakers Voices interview, the fledgling prospect pushed back.

“Every time he says that, I punch him in the face and I kick his ass one-on-one,” Zubac claimed. “So, nobody should take that seriously.”

And then there was the time the kid had his first NBA double-double on Jan. 17, with 11 points, 13 boards and three blocks. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus noted a beautiful pass from Zubac to Nick Young in the corner. Unfortunately, Swaggy P missed the shot.

“Zubac came up to me like he was a vet and said, ‘You better make your shots or I'm not going to pass it to you again,’” Young recounted. “I said, 'Oh, OK!’”

None of this should be taken as annoying arrogance. Indeed, Zubac delivers his zingers with casual deadpan levity, and his comrades respond in kind. He could be a longtime glue guy for L.A., and that’s important.

Defense

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Zubac battles Iman Shumpert at the rim.

Zubac isn’t yet a truly great defensive presence. But he has the size, decent footwork, the right attitude and a natural instinct for timing the trajectory of a ball and altering its path.

Among his many nicknames is his favorite, Zublocka. During the Trudell interview, the rookie said fans here have used it, but it actually originated overseas.

Rim protecting is something the Lakers need much more of, being one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Zubac can help there—he had four blocks in just 19 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers in March and three on four other occasions.

He’s also a solid rebounder, is able to jump out to pressure opponents or set screens, and can still recover nicely to the paint.

There are still areas that need work. And, as Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times noted, Zubac is committed to improving key aspects of his defense.

“I want to keep improving in my pick-and-roll defense,” Zubac said. “I think that’s the area where I can improve the most and help on defense to everybody and positioning defense, post defense. Mostly defense. I think if I improve on defensive end, I can help my team a lot more.”

Zubac has been saying and doing the right things all year. There’s no reason at all to believe he won’t follow through on his goals.

Scoring Ability

Zubac’s scoring average of 7.5 points over 38 games might not seem like much. But factor in gradual development and just 16 minutes per outing.

In fact, the kid had a breakout game against the Denver Nuggets in March, putting up 25 points and 11 rebounds on 80 percent shooting.

This is a prospect with a well-rounded offensive skill set, and he will only get better with increased minutes. Zubac can roll to the rim and dunk, but he’ll often choose to utilize an arsenal of floaters, flip-shots, teardrops and layups. He can also step out and hit a very nice mid-range jumper.

During the Trudell interview, the emerging big man spoke of modeling his game after Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.

“He can post you up, he can face up, he can drive, he can shoot threes,” Zubac said. “He’s a great passer, great defensive player. Every year he’s got something new in his game.”

Zubac has worked on his version of a skyhook in practice. According to Mark Medina of the Orange County Register, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar himself is interested in helping a new generation master it.

“He’s equipped to use it well,” Abdul-Jabbar said of Zubac. “He has the length to begin with. If he can develop his shooting touch and agility, he’ll use it well.”

In time, expect to see Zu spread the floor with some three-point sniping. In the more immediate future, he’ll look to get quicker and more explosive around the rim, including more lob dunks. Offense is also about more than scoring the ball—Zubac has additionally shown the ability to effectively dish to other players.

Zubac’s sheer size means he won’t always be on the floor—this is the age of small ball after all. But in time, it’s reasonable to believe that he can still be one of the team’s major scoring options.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and ESPN.com.