SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Center Ivica Zubac is about to play his first game in a Pacers uniform since being acquired from the Clippers at the trade deadline, head coach Rick Carlisle said during Tuesday’s pregame press conference.
Zubac has been sidelined since the trade with a left ankle sprain that Carlisle said had not fully recovered when Zubac returned to Los Angeles in January after missing just five games. The Pacers are out of playoff contention and sit last in the Eastern Conference with a 15-49 record, so Zubac is encouraged to take his time and make a full recovery. However, Carlisle has said from the beginning it’s important to get Zubac on the floor, and he said it could happen soon.
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“Zubac will have a new opportunity to play soon,” Carlisle said. “He’s worked really hard. He’s had a month since the trade dealing with an ankle issue and that’s a lingering thing. It’s a positive thing. We’ll have a chance to go home and see, hopefully with some of our regular guys.”
Carlisle said he hopes he can work soon with All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, who missed Tuesday’s game after spraining his left knee Sunday against the Trail Blazers. He said the Pacers may have imaging tests on the knee when they return to Indiana, but the hope is that it won’t be a long-term injury.
However, when asked about how soon Zubac could return, Carlisle demurred.
“Does anyone have a definition of soon?” Carlisle asked. “We’re all in the NBA. The possibility of greatness is always looming.”
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Zubac averaged 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this season. Last season, he averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game and was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team. He was traded along with forward Kobe Brown, sending Benedict Maturin, Isaiah Jackson and three draft picks to Los Angeles.
Dustin Dopilak has played all season for the Pacers. Get more coverage with IndyStarTV and the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Ivica Zubac injury update: Pacers C set to play ‘soon’; all we know
