Ivica Zubac’s night against the Brooklyn Nets ended early after an awkward first-quarter injury that sent the Pacers center straight to the locker room.
The play came when Zubac rolled his ankle after stepping on teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. He was visibly hobbling up the floor and headed out at the next stoppage, leaving with 4:57 remaining in the opening quarter. Larry Nance Jr. checked in for him.
Indiana later said Zubac had suffered a left ankle sprain and listed his return as questionable. By the middle of the second quarter, Jeremiah Johnson, the sideline reporter for the Pacers Television broadcast on DAZN, said Zubac was still in the locker room. When the third quarter began, Jay Huff took the starting spot, and the team officially ruled Zubac out for the rest of the game.
Before leaving, Zubac had produced a mixed but encouraging short stint. He scored one basket and handed out two assists, while Indiana was plus-6 with him on the court and minus-8 without him in the first quarter.
The timing makes the setback even tougher for Indiana. It was the first game in which the Pacers’ projected starting five actually took the floor together.
The frontcourt picture was already getting thin. T.J.
McConnell is out with a right hamstring strain, and Ben Sheppard is sidelined with a left meniscus tear. If Zubac is unable to return soon, Indiana’s depth takes another hit.
There still isn’t a settled answer to the backup center job. Obi Toppin filled that role against the New Orleans Pelicans, Huff got the call versus the Dallas Mavericks, and Nance was the choice against the Nets.
For now, those three are the main candidates to absorb center minutes while Zubac is out. The Pacers could also turn to Jalen Slawson as a small-ball option; he spent some time in that role during the preseason and again in the home opener against the Mavericks.
Indiana’s next game comes tomorrow evening against the Milwaukee Bucks and former center Myles Turner. It’s also the first of 15 back-to-backs on the schedule, making Zubac’s condition one of the most important things to watch.
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