The Clippers surprisingly managed to beat the Lakers 103-88 despite being short-handed as they lost their starting center in the first quarter of their matchup. Ivica Zubac went down just minutes into the game and was helped to the Clippers’ locker room subsequently.
It has now been reported that the Croatian big man will be sidelined for at least three weeks due to a Grade 2 left ankle sprain. According to NBA insiders Chris Haynes and Shams Charania, Zubac is expected to be out until mid-January.
Considering that their starting center will be out for three weeks, the Clippers are expected to use a new starting lineup for the next approximately 10 or 11 games until he returns. He is expected to be evaluated once again on January 10.
PG: James Harden
SG: Kris Dunn
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: John Collins
C: Brook Lopez
The silver lining here for the Clippers is that it not only gives their second veteran big, Brook Lopez, an opportunity to make an impact for the Clippers, but it also gives the former first-round pick, Kobe Brown, a chance to increase his playing time.
Beyond just Lopez and Brown, even Nicolas Batum could get more minutes if the Clippers decide to use a small-ball lineup. Additionally, Collins will get a lot more room to operate in the paint with Zubac no longer in the cutting lanes.
The Clippers already have a long list of injured players, like Bradley Beal and Derrick Jones Jr. With Jones Jr. nearing a return from injury, Zubac’s ankle sprain means the Clippers will not be fully healthy even when Jones Jr. comes back.
Team chemistry became a key factor of contention when it seemed no one other than Lopez from the Clippers bench came to help Zubac when he went down with the injury. Only Lopez and Luka Doncic from the Lakers came to help the Croatian big man, which drew some criticism on social media.
We have ZERO team chemistry!
Brook Lopez left the bench to help Zu up after he went down with an injury. Luka even came over to help but NO players on the floor helped SMH
(@TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/ZCgOf5kvfk
— Jacob (@Jacobtheclipper) December 21, 2025
Zubac is currently averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 60.9% from the field. While these may not be All-Star numbers, they are certainly impactful when a team is struggling 7-21 for the season.
While the win against the Lakers has ended a five-game losing streak for the Clippers, they are nowhere close to being where they want to be this season, which is not in the 13th seed in the West.
According to rumors, while the injury may have triggered the change in the starting lineup, it was something that was being considered even before Zubac was injured.
A source, presumably inside the Clippers’ organization, who is reportedly not authorized to speak to the media publicly, believes that Lopez may be a better fit in the starting lineup than Zubac.
“According to a source not authorized to speak publicly, Lopez would be better suited in the starting lineup since most teams employ a large starting center for him to tangle with,” wrote Clippers beat writer Justin Russo of Russo Writes.
“But on bench units, which, outside of a few teams, have scaled down in size in recent years, Lopez looks like a relic of basketball’s past,” he added.
This concern does not stem from something that Zubac was doing wrong, but a better utilization of Brook Lopez as a veteran star resource for the team. No one is saying Lopez will perform at the same level as he did in his prime in the starting lineup.
He is currently averaging 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks at age 37 while shooting 40.5% from the field and 37.3% from the three-point line.
But he might be a better fit in terms of size now, especially since Zubac is out. Therefore, if the Clippers were to choose between Lopez, Batum, and Brown on whom to start, Lopez seems like a better short-term answer.
