Ivica Zubac reveals how James Harden, “Voice” fuel awards sufficient season

The regular season 2024-25 NBA ends on 13. April. Candidates Pools for Seasons Rewards have become in a shortlist, And the time decreases for dark horses to invest their claims. LPoocing via league, a player with notable cases to win different awards-Los Angeles Clippers center Edge tooth– He didn’t attract great attention to their growth at all. Is it too late to indicate that?

The tooth is the first player to shoot 50 double doubles in the franchise season from Blake Griffin in 2011. years. The big man is averaging a career the best 16.5 points per game moving on Friday on Friday with Dallas Mavericks. His average 11.7 points last season, his seventh in the NBA, then was the highest. It won’t be long.

The growth of teeth at the offensive end of the floor involves more than scoring. His playing for others resulted in an average of 2.5 assists per game, almost doubling on average career from 1.3.

“I think only I touch the position more ” Edge The tooth said a clutch in an exclusive interview. “Most teams now send a double team – so it’s just kind of read the game, you know?”

Numbers return his request. With 304 post touch, he is The only NBA device with more from MVP candidate Nikola Jokić. He only had 91 in 68 games last year. The tooth was proud to say James Harden as a teammate also helped show his play right.

“Many teams of double james in a Black-and-roll and I get the ball in a short roll,” the Zubac closer explained. “And we play 4 against 3. I feel like I’m one of the best in league in the ball in a short roll and playing from it. ”

The “Offensive estimated plus-minus” metric Popular among NBA teams shows Zuba’s season as second-most mittling their eight-year career so far, except his 2020 campaign. Year during which he played only 18 minutes per game.

As the edge of the tooth has grown into its role as a slider anchor

The tooth said the trash were that his additives of his insulting arsenals were the best examples of his growth this season. After the notice of teams, he adapts to his post-up, which he says he really started last year, realized that he needed counters.

“I’ve only spent a lot of time to work on it My counters over the right should I think I’m right now, “the tooth explained.” And the teams really can’t be like: “Just send it to the left.” Because now I can shoot with both hands. “

Anchors must also recover. The tooth feels that he and sliders as a team grew significantly in that respect.

“I think I improved in defensive jump, a lot,” “the tooth confirmed.” Last year, we were one of the worst pies of teams, this year I think that we are # 1 or # 2 in defensive rate almost. There are a lot of petting things. “

Again. The rods were 23 years in a defensive recovery rate last season. These years are Just behind Orlando magic. I’m a tooth leads the whole league And in total jumps and challenging jumps. The tooth had the most double double duplicate NBA with 15 in March. And on average The fourth most double doubles this season.

Los Angeles is 12-3 in the last 15 games and has a fourth defensive score of the NBA in that move. But it is not a small sample size theater. The results of their season are even more impressive; The team has a third best defense rating as a whole.

The centers are generally sufficiently influenced by defense to be the only attitude that is “defensive estimated plus-minus” in a state of being well incapsulated. The tooth has the most D-EPM any center. Excluding players who are not eligible for awards, he rated the fifth in the league.

Teams Average 6,7 fewer points per 100 estimates played when the tooth is inside, By cleaning the glass. Game 32.7 minutes per game, over four more than its previous career – high in 2022-23. But he only committed only 2.2 misdemeanors by the game, related to the third lowest career.

Filtering players who play less than 10 minutes per game and watching another defensive metric, Darko D-DPM, a wasteful, shows a tooth as a third highest league rating. And he violated less than every leading candidate for the defensive player of the year.

The tooth knew he did not transfer minor offenses than the season before the other side of the year. His reaction to the news was only satisfied, “nice.”

But then he explained that there was no concrete effort to produce these results.

“EKSPERIENCE, the type of everything, only trying to be step forward – one second in advance – reading the game and knowing what will happen, “centrally shared.”I never entered the game thinking, like “Oh, I can’t break,” you know? I never had a mentality. I always want to make the right game. “

As Ivica Zubac found his voice after trading Lakers

The creation of the founder team was the goal of the Žube for years. Clippers Main Trainer Tironn Lue said before the season it The big man should go for the defensive player of the year Award. But apart from obvious benefits, the motivation for the defense progress of teeth stems from his desire to prove that the draft doubt is wrong.

“BThe ephore I made, all scouts, draft analysts, everyone said I couldn’t defend, “said the spot.” ‘I’m a bad protector of a stiffened hoop, a bad counsel, bad counsel, bad counsel, at all. “So, my goal is to get better at the end, I prove people that they are wrong and show that I can play both ways.”

It is not the only way that the tooth was most of the disadvantaged. He traded early in his career in the line of Crosstown from Los Angeles Laker on Marchers in 2019. years. And similar to a student before his first day at school, he was eager to make a good first impression.

“TThe first exercise of a hat, I was like, ‘OK, from now on, I’ll be starter, I’m starting with a clean slate, I’ll be a vocal “” “the tooth said.

Before the precedence, they set veterans from the beginning of the tooth of the carillair. He deserved Lakers teammates Tyson Chandler and Andrew Bogut, as well as Patrick Beverley from the first few seasons on the sliders.

The tooth said that the clutch was that the players or have it in them to be vocal or not. And that the reason why he did it his identity as center Clippers was simple.

“I saw during my career that all good defense counsel were vocalists, “the tooth revealed.” And if I wanted to be and I had to be vocal. “

Key influences behind the career’s self-edge season

Between the Harden, Lue, opposing defenses, who cashed its signing hook and draft analysts, a tooth development during his career can be found in countless sources of inspiration.

But there are two new factors, relevant only for this season, that the tooth considers the main advantages. The first is an additional 10 pounds that said the garbage has gained in the outside.

“I You feel strong, guys are moving, “the tooth said.” I can move a lot of guys out of the way and it really shows this year. “

The second is the addition that the axes were made in their coaching personnel of the last out-season. From Employment Jeffan Van Gundi as a lead assistantThe organization added 11 years of experience in training NBA to its bench.

The tooth was extracted as an individual who mostly deserved his growth, saying that the coach only directly directs the defense of the slider, but had a significant impact.

“Surely JVG “the tooth started.”He trains our defense … We changed all the basics of our defense and really asked me much, we communicate a lot, let me know a lot, he pushes me. “

The tooth clarified that it was not the only player who was outside Gundi helped become more shocked.

“It’s never satisfied,” said the train to the coach. “Even when we keep teams below 100 points, he always finds things in which we can become better. I think all this year really helped the team this year.”

Ivica Zubac played 463 Total Games For career marbles The eighth is the most in the history of the franchise. This season, he played in 74 games and has intriguing candidetibons for the Defense Player of the Year and most needed awards for the player, as well as an all defensive team.

This season may not win any one of the NBA’s “defensive player in the month” this season. But he is one of the four nonsense on average over 15 points per game and also serves as their Linchpin in defense. The tooth is one of the best development stories throughout the NBA.

Just don’t ask him to choose which end of the floor thinks is most improving as a whole.

“No, I’d say … Yes, “the tooth started.” I would say both ends, yes. “