Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac suffered a fractured rib in Wednesday’s game against Portland. He will not return this season as he needs time to recover, according to Dustin Dopirak from The Indianapolis Star.
Zubac left the game early after being struck by an elbow from Donovan Clingan. He addressed a head contusion during his post-game interview, but it is not clear when the rib fracture occurred.
Transferring from the Clippers to Indiana at the trade deadline in February, Zubac was still recovering from an ankle sprain and only debuted for the Pacers last week. He played in just 48 games this season due to various injuries.
In his five games as the starting center for Indiana— all losses— Zubac averaged 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in about 24 minutes per game. His overall season averages are 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 30.1 minutes.
The Pacers acquired Zubac with plans for the future, aiming for the 2026-27 season and beyond. With Zubac healthy and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton recovering from an Achilles injury, Indiana hopes to compete for a championship again after narrowly missing out last June.
With Zubac out, Jay Huff is expected to take his place in the starting lineup, having started 15 of the 16 games before Zubac’s debut. Micah Potter, the backup center who lost his rotation spot, might return for regular minutes once he recovers from a triceps strain that kept him inactive earlier this week.