Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac opened up on playing alongside star guard Tyrese Haliburton this season.
Throughout his NBA career, center Ivica Zubac has been seen as a strong option for his teams in the middle of the paint. The Croatian big man was selected in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft, building a solid career for himself.
Zubac has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, seeing him take on the bright lights of a big city. This has added pressure on him to perform at a certain level, but the veteran big man has handled everything well.
But now, Zubac is part of the Indiana Pacers for the foreseeable future, offering him a different type of opportunity. Indiana plays a very different style of basketball than most other teams, using a collection of guys to run up and down the court at all times.
This will be a challenge for Zubac to adjust his game to this style, but the center is ready for whatever is to come this year. Zubac is also looking forward to playing alongside star point guard Tyrese Haliburton this season.
Haliburton is coming back from a torn Achilles that he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, but he's healthy and ready to go. Playing with Haliburton will give Zubac a different type of point guard than he's used to being around.
The Pacers star likes to push everything up the court from the second he gets the ball, giving Indiana a strong sense of pace on offense. This is something that Zubac is excited to see take place this coming season, with the big man wanting to be part of this.
Zubac has played with guards who want to control everything, meaning that they bring the ball up the floor. But Haliburton likes to push the pace, and he will pass the ball to others to get the offensive attack initiated at rapid speed.
This has led to the Pacers being one of the more unique teams in the NBA, and Indiana was at its best when they played with pace. Zubac is a different type of center than the Pacers have been used to playing with, but he is ready for the challenge that he will be under this year.
Zubac is a much better rebounder than the Pacers have seen in recent years, giving thought to potentially more opportunities. Having Haliburton healthy this season could see Zubac thrive in terms of his numbers, and the Indiana offense could be even stronger.
It may take some time for the Pacers to build the chemistry this season since Haliburton has been out for so long. But this team is ready to prove itself again, with the only goal being to win the NBA title.
