The Indiana Pacers have already seen starting center Ivica Zubac missing at least one game due to injury. Zubac is one of the first NBA players to suffer a noteworthy injury this season when leaving Sunday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets with an ankle injury. Indiana ruled Zubac out for Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, head coach Rick Carlisle provided a positive sign while leaving the door open for Zubac to miss more time:
“Zubac is doing better. He walked into the arena with no boot. No timetable, but encouraging. A lot of swelling last night, but better today.”
The phrase “no timetable’ for a return is never ideal news for fans of an injured player. Zubac could miss more time, but Carlisle made it clear that the signs are encouraging so far. Indiana also saw starting wing player Andrew Nembhard ruled out Monday to make injuries a bigger concern.
Carlisle saying that Zubac has no swelling and things are trending positively should provide confidence that he won’t be out too long. One positive for the Pacers is that reserve big men Jay Huff and Obi Toppin have looked good early in the season. Indiana has overcome early injuries via overall team play and depth.
Zubac Out Adds More Pressure To Tyrese Haliburton
The Pacers entered this season with Tyrese Haliburton returning from missing a full season with his own injury rehab. Indiana basically goes as far as Haliburton can take them as the one running the offense and creating a dynamic system that helps everyone.
Zubac looked great in his first few games before the injury ruled him out during the third outing of the season. This just puts more pressure on the All-Star tandem of Haliburton and Pascal Siakam to step up in the absences of Zubac and Nembhard.
The Pacers did not want too much pressure on Haliburton this shortly into his return, but the situation has called for it. Haliburton runs the Indiana system similar to how guards like Steve Nash, Chris Paul, and James Harden have done for their respective teams in the past to see responsibility falling to him.
When To Expect Ivica Zubac Back On Court
Indiana is giving no updates on Zubac’s report due to waiting it out. Carlisle said there was no swelling in his knee, and things are progressing in an ideal manner. This usually means the Pacers should get him back after just a handful of games out.
Zubac could realistically be back this week if there are no hiccups along the way. However, Carlisle indicated they are playing it safe and waiting before revealing a timeline. Huff, Toppin, and Larry Nance Jr should be good enough to play the center minutes until Zubac returns.
The Pacers took a huge chance by trading for Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers last season. Indiana lost the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft, who turned out to be Keaton Wagler. However, the confidence is there that Zubac will be the starting center for an NBA Championship run.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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