One of the most most popular players for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer was rookie center Ivica Zubac. The 19-year-old was basically an unknown when he was selected by the Lakers in the second round of the NBA Draft, but his impressive skill set and overall enthusiasm quickly made him a fan favorite.
With training camp only a couple of weeks away, Zubac will soon get his first taste of life in the NBA. In an interview with Mike Bresnahan of Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Zubac spoke about what he expects once training camp kicks off:
“I’ve never been in a training camp before so I don’t know what to expect, but expect a lot of hard work and a lot of competitive practices and to get better.”
Additionally, Zubac noted that his number one priority on this team is defense, and he needs to keep things simple on offense:
“Number one priority is defense, definitely. I want to help the team so when I get minutes […] the most important thing is to bring out the energy and help out on defense and if I can do that I’m gonna be good.
On offense, I just gotta take what the defense gives me and what the team gives me. I shouldn’t complicate it a lot, and I think I’m gonna be good if I do that.”
Zubac has a ton of potential, and he showed that during Summer League. Timofey Mozgov will almost definitely be the starter at center, but Zubac could find himself getting regular minutes if he can beat out Tarik Black and Yi Jianlian for the backup center spot.
Even if he can’t, this season is all about development for Zubac. As long as he continues to expand his game and improve, he will eventually find himself on the court as he has too much talent not to.
