Ivica Zubac has spent the preseason making the Pacers look a lot smarter for swinging that trade.
With Tyrese Haliburton grabbing most of the spotlight in Indiana, Zubac has been doing his work a little more quietly. But over three preseason games, the Pacers center has shown exactly why there was so much interest in him after the deal from the Los Angeles Clippers. He has been all over the floor in the ways Indiana needed most: screening with purpose, cleaning the glass, and offering real help as both a passer and scorer in a half-court offense that used to look clunky.
That matters because plenty of people wondered how he would mesh with the Pacers’ tempo. Indiana likes to play fast, and Zubac was never going to change into a different player overnight.
Instead, he has adjusted. The coaching staff deserves some credit for making it work, but the bigger shift has come from Zubac himself, who has changed parts of his game to fit what Indiana wants.
The result has been a stretch that looks as good as the Pacers could have hoped for. If Zubac keeps this up - and if Haliburton’s strong return carries into the regular season - Indiana will be in a position to do a lot of damage.
The logic behind the trade was never just about getting a center who could start games and hold his own. The Pacers were also moving on an asset at the right time, using value that was stronger in the moment than it would have been later. That mattered, but it wasn’t the whole story.
The deeper reason Zubac was worth going after is that he brings more than the label of “good starter.” He sits in a different tier.
He is one of the league’s best box-out bigs, the kind of player who helps build a rebounding structure around him. He is also one of the best screen setters around, using his size to carve out space on pindowns and in pick-and-roll actions alike.
And because he began as a low-usage role player with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, he can scale his game up or down depending on what the team needs. That kind of flexibility is rare, and it is exactly why he fits so well as a third option. He can handle more if needed, but he is just as comfortable doing less.
For a Pacers team that already has plenty of mouths to feed and still needs efficient scoring, connective passing, and the little things that add up to winning basketball, Zubac has looked like the right answer.
In Other News...
LeBron Just Put All The Pressure On Tyrese Haliburtons Return
LeBron James has already added a fresh layer of intrigue to Indianas outlook by pointing to the Pacers comeback potential and tying it directly to Tyrese Haliburtons health. For a team that has built so much of its identity around Haliburtons playmaking and feel for the game, the timing matters as much as anything else. His recent return to five-on-five work after an Achilles injury is a notable step, and it has naturally revived bigger questions about where the Pacers can go once he is fully back.
Haliburtons importance goes beyond the box score because so much of Indianas offense runs through his decision-making and pace. The Pacers have other pieces expected to help them push back toward contender status, but the conversation keeps circling back to the guard who changes the ceiling when he is right. LeBrons comments only sharpened that reality, turning Haliburtons comeback into more than a routine injury update and into a central part of the Pacers larger hopes. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburton Gave Pacers Fans An Early Reason To Believe
Tyrese Haliburton was back in the lineup for the Pacers third preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he wasted little time giving Indiana something to build on. In a 114-112 overtime loss, Haliburton looked sharp offensively, finishing with 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting while adding three assists, three rebounds and two blocks after sitting out the previous game.
For a preseason game that ended in a narrow defeat, the bigger takeaway for Indiana was the way Haliburton looked running the show again. The Pacers also got a strong night from Ivica Zubac, who posted 13 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals in just 18 minutes, but Haliburtons return was the clearest sign the team can start imagining what its offense might look like once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburtons Return Adds Real Emotion To Pacers-Thunder
Tyrese Haliburtons return in the Pacers preseason opener carried a little more weight than a typical October tune-up. After missing the entire 2025-26 season because of the Achilles tendon injury he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton was back on the floor for Indiana, and the moment drew a human reaction from across the sideline as much as anything else.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged how severe the injury was and said he was happy to see Haliburton working his way back. The Thunder and Pacers are set to meet again in a preseason game Tuesday night, which gives the matchup an added layer after what Haliburton has already gone through and what both sides now know about the road back. [Read more 🡒]