Center Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers will miss at least one month of action with a strained calf, the organization said on Tuesday.
According to coach Ty Lue, Zubac sat out Sunday's 109-105 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves because of stiffness in his right calf. Although Zubac's exact mechanism for aggravating his calf remains a mystery, it is evident that it has not improved since Sunday's defeat. While the Clippers assess his situation, Zubac will miss the minimum of four weeks.
Several injuries to Zubac's right calf have plagued him throughout his career. Last year, he strained his right calf immediately before the All-Star break, and in 2021–22, he missed two games because of the same injury.
With the Clippers, Zubac is enjoying a career year. On top of shooting 65.5% from the field, he has averaging 9.7 rebounds and 12.4 points per game, all of which are career highs. Also, he shot at least 50% in 27 straight games until last week, when his run ended. It was a 21–27 record for the Clippers.
With a record of 25-14 heading into Tuesday's match against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Clippers were just three games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who led the Western Conference. Less than two games out of their last ten have ended in defeat for the Clippers, and those losses were by a combined seven points.
The Clippers will look to backup center Mason Plumlee and center Daniel Theis to step up in Zubac's absence. On Sunday, theis replaced Zubac in the starting lineup, but he only managed to grab four boards and score three points in 22 minutes
Plumlee played 16 minutes after entering the game as a substitute. Both Plumlee and Theis have failed to score more than 6.5 points per game thus far in the season.
Zubac would miss thirteen games if he were to return in time for the Clippers' game against the Warriors on February 14, assuming his four-week absence is accurate. Zubac is an integral part of the Clippers' lineup and will be difficult to replace in the coming month, even though the majority of the focus is on Paul George, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul.