Ivica Zubac (C, LAC) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

March 18, 2019

Ivica Zubac is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup if he's still available as a free agent in your league, heading into Week 23 of the NBA season. Daniel Benjamin recommends Zubac due to his solid rebounding and huge upside.

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ANALYSIS: It is surprising that Ivica Zubac is still so widely available in fantasy leagues. The 21-year-old has been very good, albeit a little inconsistent, since switching locker rooms in the Staples Center.

Since trading in the Lakers' purple and gold for the Clippers' red, blue and black, the 7-foot-1, 240-pound center has seen his numbers increase across the board. Zubac has seen his passing and rebounding as well as playing time improve with the Clippers. But he is having issues with rushing his shot and staying out of foul trouble.

Zubac has been more consistent scoring the basketball recently then he had been when he first came over to the Clippers. The Bosnia and Herzegovina native has done an outstanding job rebounding the ball throughout his tenure with the Clips.

The third-year pro is coming off a horrendous shooting performance in Sunday's 119-116 win over the Nets as he missed eight of nine shots from the field to finish with three points. Still, he has scored in double-figures in three of his last five games and four of eight contests in March. Zubac also has hauled in at least seven boards on seven occasions in March, tallying double-digit rebounds three times.

Zubac only tallied 10 points in two of his first seven outings with the Clippers, and while he hauled in seven or more boards on six occasions, the former second-round draft pick didn't reach double-digits any time during this stretch.

Zubac has helped stabilize the center position for Los Angeles, who are 11-4 in the 15 games that the big man has appeared in. He has played better this month, averaging 9.3 points along with 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 44.9 percent from the field. Zubac is averaging a carom every 2.3 minutes and is bringing in 19.9 percent of all available rebounds in March, which ranks 10th-best in the league.

Fantasy owners should be more than eager to pick up Zubac if he is still on your league's waiver wire as he has the potential to put up big numbers. Zubac will remain a key cog at center for the remainder of the season and should see at least 25 minutes a game if he is capable of staying out of foul trouble.