The Pacers didn’t just add a center at the February trade deadline. They added a player general manager Chad Buchanan believes checks a lot of the boxes Indiana wants in its next step forward.
Speaking on the Setting The Pace podcast, Buchanan laid out why Ivica Zubac has already settled in so cleanly with the Pacers and why the organization sees him as a strong match for a team with championship aspirations.
“It’s been very encouraging. He’s been a very easy guy to get along with, to connect with and our players have really bonded with him pretty quickly. ”
That comfort level, Buchanan said, has been there from the jump. He pointed to Zubac’s personality, his experience, and the way he already understands the league and the people in it.
“He’s an easygoing, personable guy who knows the league, he knows our team, he knows the NBA, he knows restaurants to go to on the road, and he knows players around the league. [This is a] a guy who’s got a lot of experience being in the NBA, and he’s got a lot of relationships already estaablished with his teammates here.”
Indiana also kept close tabs on Zubac during the offseason while he was overseas with his national team.
“We’ve been following him with his National Team overseas, and we’ve had staff go over there to see him and spend time with him. He’s an easy guy to want to be around.”
Buchanan acknowledged that leaving the Los Angeles Clippers after spending his entire NBA career in Los Angeles was a major change, but he believes Zubac has already leaned into the move.
“I know for him being with the same team for a long time, it was hard for him leaving the comfort zone of where he was at. He was beloved there by the Clippers, their organization, and their fans. But I think he’ll be beloved here as well.”
What stands out most to Buchanan is how closely Zubac’s mindset matches Indiana’s.
“He values the same things that we value as an organization. He’s an unselfish guy who wants to play winning basketball.
It’s not about himself. It’s not about his stats.
It’s all about winning at this point in his career.”
That buy-in matters to the Pacers, especially because Zubac is already working to adjust to the way they do things.
“He recognizes he’s going to have to adjust to our style of play. And I think that’s a big emphasis for him with his offseason training.
He knows he’s on a team that’s trying to win right now. And that’s what he was looking for.
I think our guys have embraced him and our coaches have embraced him.”
On the floor, Buchanan is clear that Zubac is not a Myles Turner clone. He sees that as a strength, not a problem.
“Obviously his strengths of his game are different than Myles’ strengths, which is not necessarily a bad thing because there’s things that Ivica brings in regards to the rebounding, the defevensive paint protection, the screening and the passing that make up for maybe the lack of three-point shooting.”
Buchanan also pushed back on the idea that Indiana’s pace has to be defined by constant sprinting.
“I think the perception is that we play fast, [but that actually means] we make quick decisions. I think that is a better way of saying that we play fast.”
Buchanan continued, “To make quick decisions, you’ve got to be a very smart player. Ivica is obviously not a gazelle running up and down the court.
But I wouldn’t say Myles necessarily was either.”
For Buchanan, Zubac’s value comes from the little things that show up possession after possession: the screen, the physicality, the read, the finish.
“I think the decision making, the screening, and the physicality that he brings is an element that will be very much welcomed by our group.”
There will be an adjustment period as Zubac learns Indiana’s schemes on both ends, but Buchanan isn’t worried about the process because of the center’s feel for the game.
“I think it will take some time for him to adapt to our play style or defensive coverages because every team does things maybe a little bit different. But his intelligence is off the charts.
And I think that’s something that our coaches really, really value. I think you’ll see that being a great fit with our group.”
That’s the bigger picture here. Buchanan sees Zubac’s elite basketball IQ, soft hands, screening, quick reads, rebounding, paint protection, and willingness to punish smaller defenders on the block as traits that can slot naturally into Indiana’s system. It’s a different look from what the Pacers have had at center in recent years, but one they believe can make them even more dangerous.