<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/gaming/clippers-news-ivica-zubacs-nba-2k26-rating-defended-by-fans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ivica Zubac’s NBA 2K26 Rating Defended by Fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Ivica-Zubacs-NBA-2K26-Rating-Defended-by-Fans.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Ivica Zubac’s NBA 2K26 Rating Defended by Fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-20T12:22:31-07:00">August 20th, 12:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-20T12:22:31-07:00">August 20th, 12:22pm</time><address><a>Massimo Marchiano</a>Massimo Marchiano is part of ClutchPoints' Gaming team, specializing in Sports Video Games. He's also the published author of "Dawkin: A Tall Tale", a sci-fi western novel. When he's not writing about cowboys and aliens, he's watching his favorite Philly Sports team lose (or winning with them himself in his favorite video games).</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Gaming</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ivica Zubac’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/gaming/nba-2k26-release-date">NBA 2K26</a> rating of an 87 may seem undeserved to some, but many fans are coming to his defense. The Clippers’ Center is coming off his best year yet, and the developers over at Visual Concepts have rewarded him with a great NBA 2K rating. At launch, he’ll boast a rating higher than players like Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Maxey, and more. Before comparing Zubac to those players, let’s first see if he’s deserving of such a rating.</p><h2><b>Fans Defend Ivica Zubac’s NBA 2K26 Rating</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">NBA 2K really gave Ivica Zubac a higher rating than:</p><p>🎮 Jimmy Butler<br>🎮 Tyrese Maxey<br>🎮 Julius Randle<br>🎮 De'Aaron Fox<br>🎮  Franz Wagner </p><p>Chat is this valid? <a href="https://t.co/X0hehRo2aY">pic.twitter.com/X0hehRo2aY</a></p><p>— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) <a href="https://twitter.com/bballforever_/status/1957985907468042440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The NBA 2K26 Ratings for players ranked 50th-31st, with Clippers’ Center Ivica Zubac earning an 87 OVR. This puts him higher than players like Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Maxey, De’Aaron Fox, and more. A post from Basketball Forever on X asked fans if this rating was “valid”.</p><p>“I mean Zubac was much better this season” one user posted. “Zubac is the 2nd best center in the league under Jokic,” said another. Overall, most people seem to agree with the rating.</p><p>Of course, there were a few who didn’t agree. “No, that had to be a typo, right <a href="https://nba.2k.com/2k26/" rel="noopener">@NBA2K</a>?” Most of the disagreement stems comes from comparing his rating to other players. But what do we think?</p><p><b>Does Ivica Zubac deserve an 87 OVR in NBA 2K26?</b></p><p>Yes, Ivica Zubac enjoyed the best season of his career in 2024-2025, and deserves his 87 rating in NBA 2K26. Without comparing him to players like Maxey or Butler, let’s just look at Zubac the invidual.</p><p>In 2024-2025, he started and played 80 games, averaging over 30 minutes per game. That’s tied for second most for all centers, only under Jarrett Allen. Furthermore, Zubac earned career highs in:</p><ul><li>Rebounds per game (12.6)</li><li>Assists per game (2.7)</li><li>Steals per game (.7)</li><li>Points per game (16.8)</li></ul><p>What’s more important is that Zubac continued to play well in the postseason, averaging over 10 rebounds and 18 points per game. Zubac and the Clippers lost to the Nuggets in the First Round in seven games. He led the team in rebounds in 4 out of seven games, while leading the team in points in their Game 5 loss.</p><p>Overall, Zubac has played well enough to garner a high rating in NBA 2K26. But he’s also not at the level of someone like Nikola Jokic. Therefore, an 87 rating makes sense to us.</p><p>Now, when comparing his rating to other players, that’s where things get subjective. We won’t argue who deserves which rating. Perhaps Jimmy Butler could use a higher rating. At the same time, he turns 36 this season.</p><p>And Tyrese Maxey is a phenomenal player. However, a season-ending injury ended his 2024-2025 campaign early. Therefore, he didn’t have an opportunity to increase it.</p><p>Regardless, all of these ratings are subject to change as the season goes on.</p><p>Lastly, for more <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/gaming">gaming</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba">NBA</a> news, visit ClutchPoints. Furthermore, subscribe to our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/newsletters/gaming">gaming newsletter</a> for more weekly info.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ivica Zubac’s NBA 2K26 Rating Defended by Fans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/exclusive-ivica-zubac-puts-coaching-hat-on-for-basketball-without-borders-excited-for-clippers-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Exclusive: Ivica Zubac puts coaching hat on for Basketball Without Borders, excited for Clippers season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/LA-Clippers-center-Ivica-Zubac-speaks-at-Basketball-Without-Borders-camp.jpg"><figcaption>Image Credit: NBA (right) and Brad Penner-Imagn Images (left)</figcaption></figure><h1>Exclusive: Ivica Zubac puts coaching hat on for Basketball Without Borders, excited for Clippers season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-15T13:39:01-07:00">August 15th, 1:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-15T14:11:31-07:00">August 15th, 2:11pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA took to Europe this week alongside FIBA to host the 22nd <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/washington-mystics/mystics-news-georgia-amoore-admission-wnba-globalization">Basketball Without Borders</a> Europe Camp. The top 60 high school age boys and girls, coming from 27 countries, participated in the Europe camp in Manchester, England, with a number of special coaches on hand, including Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac.</p><p>Zubac was joined by Chicago Bulls guard Kevin Huerter, former NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Tyson Chandler, five-time NBA Champion Derek Fisher, as well as two-time WNBA Champion and four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Sylvia Fowles.</p><p>Additionally, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, Sixers assistant coach Bryan Gates, and former NBA player and veteran assistant coach Roy Rogers were also in attendance to help coach the camp. Nurse is also a two-time British Basketball League champion (1996 and 2000) and two-time coach of the year (2000 and 2004).</p><p>“Hosting Basketball Without Borders in Manchester for the first time reflects the city’s thriving basketball culture and the growing level of talent in England and across the UK,” Neal Meyer, NBA Europe and Middle East Vice President of Basketball Operations, said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing together the next generation of European prospects to learn from players and coaches who have succeeded at the highest levels of the game.”</p><h2><b>Ivica Zubac puts coaching hat on for Basketball Without Borders, excited for Clippers season</b></h2><p>The Europe camp marked the first time that Basketball Without Borders — the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program — was held in the United Kingdom.</p><p>LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac spoke with ClutchPoints exclusively during the Basketball Without Borders camp, discussing the importance of imparting his knowledge on the next generation of potential European pros.</p><p>“It’s been great,” Zubac said during the four-day basketball camp. “I like sharing my knowledge and experience with the young guys, especially guys coming from Europe kind of going through a similar path that I was going through. Just being around them, around their energy, it feels good. It’s kind of a different than the NBA stuff. It’s very fun and fulfilling coaching and getting my advice to these guys.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/LA-Clippers-center-Ivica-Zubac-coaching-at-Basketball-Without-Borders-camp-2.jpg"><figcaption>Image credit: NBA</figcaption></figure><p>Zubac’s Croatian National Team failed to qualify for the 2025 Eurobasket tournament, freeing up the big man for the summer.</p><p>“Jabarri [Reynolds – Head of International Player &amp; Team Operations] hit me up, asked me about this camp,” the Clippers center added. “I was very intrigued and wanted to see the next European generation. To see the best out of European talents and that was definitely a big thing.”</p><p>During the camp, which runs from August 12-15, the boys and girls will go through a variety of activities led by the players and coaches, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, and 5-on-5 live games. Additionally, the campers will also go through sessions where they’ll learn life-skills and work on leadership development.</p><p>Ivica Zubac, who just earned All-Defensive Team honors and finished second in Most Improved Player of the Year voting, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNVBACztN8o/" rel="noopener">took time to coach players</a> with a focus the defensive end of the floor.</p><p>“It depends from player to player. I try to focus on the big guys, trying to help them out a little bit. Defensively, just trying to instill in them that they’ve got to communicate, they’ve got to be the loudest ones in the gym, they’ve got to navigate their guards and wings on a defensive end, they’ve got to call out the coverages early, they’ve got to be loud, and also just trying to help them with positioning [on the floor].</p><p>And then offensively, the same thing: trying to help them get to the right spot, help them with the angles of pick-and-rolls, of setting screens, and just trying to see as it goes. When I see something, I try to help them and try to share my knowledge and experience.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/LA-Clippers-center-Ivica-Zubac-coaching-at-Basketball-Without-Borders-camp.jpg"><figcaption>Image credit: NBA</figcaption></figure><p>Aside from the 60 campers and the programs they’re going through, the Basketball Without Borders camp also includes Jr. NBA, Jr. WNBA, and Her Time to Play clinics for more than 250 kids from the local community between the ages of 12 and 16.</p><p>“Oh yeah, for sure,” Zubac responded when asked if his European background makes it even more important for him to attend these camps and coach the youth. “I was once in their shoes trying to get to the league, trying to become a professional player. So yeah, I think it’s more important for me to help them than some other guys.”</p><p>Coming off a surprising 50-win regular season but a disappointing first round exit, the LA Clippers made some big moves to bolster their roster around Zubac, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden.</p><p>To start free agency, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/why-james-harden-was-superstar-la-clippers-needed">the Clippers brought in</a> Brook Lopez, traded for John Collins, signed Bradley Beal, and finished their offseason by bringing back former Clipper great and future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul. The team lost a big piece in Norman Powell, but put together depth that could be unmatched by any other team in the NBA.</p><p>“I feel great,” Zubac told ClutchPoints. “The team, I really like the moves that we made. I think the whole team is confident, this roster looks really good on paper. I’m just excited to get it going, for October 1st to start, and to kind of see how it looks in the court, how it plays out. I think we addressed all our weaknesses that we had and I really like all the moves, so it’s all up to us now.”</p><p>Zubac is coming off a career-year with the Clippers, averaging 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.8 percent from the field. The Croatian big man led the NBA in total offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, and total rebounds in his 80 appearances.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Exclusive: Ivica Zubac puts coaching hat on for Basketball Without Borders, excited for Clippers season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/nba-rumors-clippers-stance-trading-ivica-zubac-kevin-durant-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Clippers’ stance on trading Ivica Zubac in Kevin Durant deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Kevin-Durant-Ivica-Zubac.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Clippers’ stance on trading Ivica Zubac in Kevin Durant deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-16T10:05:30-07:00">June 16th, 10:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-16T10:05:30-07:00">June 16th, 10:05am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-certain-trade-scenarios-kevin-durant-rockets-partnership">Phoenix Suns are trying to get out of the Kevin Durant business</a> this offseason, and naturally there are plenty of teams that would like to get their hands on the former league MVP. The Los Angeles Clippers are one team that can benefit greatly from Durant’s skillset.</p><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-heat-rockets-spurs-named-kevin-durant-preferred-trade-destinations">Durant has said that he wants to commit</a> to either the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs, the Suns still owe it to themselves to pursue the best possible return for him. The Clippers have valuable players and assets that could go back to Phoenix in a Durant trade, including starting center Ivica Zubac.</p><p>Unfortunately for the Suns, the Clippers <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/orlando-memphis-kevin-durant-and?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=166031248&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">aren’t going to want to let go</a> of their emerging big man, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.</p><p>“We’ve been consistently told LA has no desire to part with Ivica Zubac … as much as Phoenix surely covets the consistently improving center,” Fischer wrote. “The Clippers, however, do hold two future first-round picks and some available swap rights to sweeten a potential Durant offer that would almost certainly require the inclusion of Norman Powell, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derrick Jones Jr.”</p><p>The Clippers have plenty of good reasons for wanting to hold onto Zubac. He has developed from a role player into a two-way force, dominating games on the glass as well as on the defensive end. Offensively, he has great touch around the rim and has become a strong play-finisher around the basket, so he would be an immediate impact player on both ends of the floor.</p><p>Not putting Zubac in a trade will make it very difficult for the Clippers to pull off a Durant trade, but Los Angeles will feel that it is close to competing in the Western Conference either way.</p><p>Despite losing in seven games in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets this season, the Clippers were playing some of the best basketball in the NBA during the back half of the season this year. If they can bring back a majority of that core into the 2025-26 season, Tyronn Lue and company will have confidence that they can beat just about anyone.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Clippers’ stance on trading Ivica Zubac in Kevin Durant deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/nikola-jokic-rejects-clippers-ivica-zubac-with-insane-block');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic rejects Clippers’ Ivica Zubac with insane block');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/LA-Clippers-center-Ivica-Zubac-40-and-Denver-Nuggets-center-Nikola-Jokic-15.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic rejects Clippers’ Ivica Zubac with insane block</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-03T17:53:57-07:00">May 3rd, 5:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-03T17:59:21-07:00">May 3rd, 5:59pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets are locked in a battle in Game 7 of their first round series. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-james-harden-reveal-keys-to-must-win-game-7-vs-nuggets">Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are trying to defeat Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets</a> for the right to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. Jokic isn’t holding anything back, locking down Ivica Zubac.</p><p>Jokic met Zubac at the rim, rejecting the Clippers center in one of his <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918827017744564240" rel="noopener">best defensive plays</a> of the season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nikola Jokic block<br>Jamal Murray layup</p><p>The Nuggets are doing it ALL in the second quarter of Game 7 😤<a href="https://t.co/UdOSoSk1G0">pic.twitter.com/UdOSoSk1G0</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918827017744564240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Nuggets center isn’t known for his defensive talents, but the reigning MVP made the highlight reel play. He and Denver entered halftime with an 11 point lead. However, Zubac and the Clippers have shown a tendency to come back in the series. They put forth a stellar effort in Game 6 to force the win or go home matchup.</p><p>Leonard, Zubac, and the Clippers rode a dominant second half of the season into the playoffs. Denver, on the other hand, heavily relied on Jokic to carry them to the postseason. The back and forth between each squad has made the series one of the most intense matchups of the first round in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.</p><p>Both teams have championship aspirations, but only one will advance to try to make them a reality.</p><p>The energy in Ball arena is palpable as both teams try to come out on top in the series’ final game. Regardless of which squad comes out on top, their series will be remembered for its star power. There are four MVP trophies between each team; two for Jokic and one apiece for James Harden and Russell Westbrook.</p><p>The winner of Game 7 is rewarded with a date against the Thunder in the second round. Oklahoma City is one of the best teams in the NBA behind presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That being said, both the Nuggets and Clippers believe they have what it takes to advance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic rejects Clippers’ Ivica Zubac with insane block

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-beats-ivica-zubac-most-improved-player-award');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Dyson Daniels beats Ivica Zubac for Most Improved Player award');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dyson-Daniels-beats-Ivica-Zubac-for-Most-Improved-Player-award-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Hawks’ Dyson Daniels beats Ivica Zubac for Most Improved Player award</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-30T16:05:13-07:00">April 30th, 4:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-30T16:07:43-07:00">April 30th, 4:07pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has been named the recipient of the George Mikan Trophy as the <a href="https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1917716444537594118" rel="noopener">2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player</a>, the league announced on Wednesday night.</p><p>As a result of receiving more votes than Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Daniels become only the second player in Hawks history to be named the league’s Most Improved Player. He joins Alan Henderson (1998-98) as the only other winner of the award in team history.</p><p>Daniels, 22, had a breakthrough season with the Hawks, averaging career highs in points (14.1), rebounds (5.9), assists (4.4), and steals (3.0). The Hawks guard also led the league in steals per game and total steals (229) this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the next closest player with 131 total steals.</p><p>Only 30 players in NBA history have ever recorded 220 or more steals in a single season, and Daniels is now one of them. He is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-becomes-youngest-nba-player-ever-to-reach-bonkers-milestone">youngest player in league history</a> (22) to record 200 or more steals in a season.</p><p>After being traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Hawks in the offseason deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pels, Daniels made a name for himself early on in Atlanta with his defensive instincts.</p><p>While he always had the potential to be a two-way threat at either guard position, Daniels was never given a chance to prove his worth in New Orleans. With the Hawks having a clear need for another next to Trae Young, the former eighth-overall pick instantly became a fan favorite in Atlanta due to his length and ability to push the ball in transition off turnovers.</p><p>As a result, he was nicknamed <i>The Great Barrier Thief. </i>Daniels was also in the running for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, which Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley won. The Hawks guard finished second in the voting behind Mobley, receiving 25 of 100 first-place votes for Defensive Player of the Year.</p><p>Although a case could be made for several players around the league to win the 2024-25 Most Improved Player award, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-strong-dyson-daniels-message-most-improved">Daniels stuck out in this race</a> because he went from being a player on the end of New Orleans’ bench to starting for the Hawks and becoming one of the best defensive players in the league.</p><p>“I think if you just study not only the defense but the way he’s driving the ball, the way he’s shooting the ball,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said of Daniels this season. “Sometimes, you watch him, and he’s playing with the level of confidence that has developed over the course of the season. Usually, with those things, it’s a lot of players that are deserving, and I certainly feel like he’s one of them.”</p><p>Daniels received 44 of the 100 first-place votes for Most Improved Player. Zubac finished second with 23 first-place votes, followed by Cunningham in third with 15 first-place votes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Dyson Daniels beats Ivica Zubac for Most Improved Player award

Darius Garland

Josh Jackson

Reggie Bullock

DeMarre Carroll

Ivica Zubac

Jaxson Hayes

Rawle Alkins

Devonte' Graham

Frank Ntilikina

Dwayne Bacon

2024-25 All-Defensive

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Clippers

6 Seasons

3 seasons

5 seasons

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1601277808180748288/

Never in doubt 🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1477476420335120385/

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1403758304476729344/

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1368704774690906112/

Maybe I’ll get a pack on a next drop 🤡🤦🏻‍♂️ @nba_topshot

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1364072224219561985/

Got two @nba_topshot packs to open. Will be giving away one moment from each pack 👀 Anyone interested?

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1363956646389501954/

Let’s see what’s all this hype about @nba_topshot

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1342521662449864704/

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎁 🙏🏻

https://twitter.com/ivicazubac/status/1301333294542450688/

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.8	12.6	2.7	1.1	0.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.8	12.6	2.7	1.1	0.7

Ivica
Zubac

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