Ivica Zubac’s frustration level increases with every minute not played. Every moment spent on the bench brings a renewed sense of aggravation.
Zubac’s annoyance isn’t directed at anyone, just the situation the Clippers center finds himself in. Zubac is on a minutes restriction after straining his right calf last month. It’s been a slow roll as he works himself back into shape.
Since coming back on Feb. 2 in a road win in Miami, Zubac has averaged 20.5 minutes over four games. His longest stint was 23 minutes in the Clippers’ deflating 121-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Yet, the 7-footer made the most of his time on the court, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring six points with one blocked shot before foul trouble interfered.
“I wanted to play a little more, but I got to trust the process,” Zubac said. “I didn’t go to my limits, so the game was like that. I can’t complain. If I was not in foul trouble, if I was playing a little better, I would have been out there more.”
Before the injury, Zubac had appeared in all 38 games to start the season, averaging 12.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 27.1 minutes per game. He was the defensive anchor during a 23-7 stretch that propelled the Clippers to the upper reaches of the Western Conference standings.
But during warm-ups before the team’s Jan. 12 game at Minnesota, Zubac reportedly said that he felt a sharp twinge in his calf.
At the time, Zubac said he didn’t think the injury was anything major. An MRI revealed a more serious strain and was to be re-evaluated in mid-February, shortly before the All-Star break.
Zubac, though, returned to the lineup on Feb. 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans, 21 days after suffering the injury.
“I think my body heals well and, you know, we’re still trying to be careful with it,” he said. “But I’ve been working out very hard for the past two weeks. We stressed it through a bunch of different motions, a bunch of…
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