It seems that the data is so-so, but the actual effect of the Clippers inside pillars is far less than expected?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers, playing at home, completed a desperate counterattack in the final quarter and narrowly defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 110-108. After this game, the 76ers, who have won two of the last three games, have improved their record to 8-5, and their ranking has risen to sixth in the Western Conference; while the Clippers, who have suffered two consecutive losses, have dropped to 4-10, and continue to rank fourth from the bottom in the Western Conference.

In this game, the performance of the Clippers' starting center Ivica Zubac was obviously not ideal. Zubac played 33 minutes and 55 seconds, made 7 of 13 shots, and had a double-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, including 5 offensive rebounds and 1 foul. The plus-minus value was -7. Zubac's performance on the offensive end was so-so. He did score some points and grabbed some offensive rebounds, but he really couldn't play a bigger role. The most critical problem is that Zubac's performance on the defensive end can be said to be very unsatisfactory. His performance in protecting the basket is very average. Even Andre Drummond can beat him. Zubac should have been the absolute backbone of the team, but everyone has seen that his actual effect on the court is too average. With his ability and his performance last season, he should definitely play a greater role.

In the NBA regular season last season, Zubac played a total of 80 times in 82 games, averaging 32.8 minutes per game. He averaged 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, 1.6 turnovers and 2.1 fouls. He shot 62.8% from the field and 68.1% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Zubac played a total of 7 times, averaging 36.6 minutes per game. He averaged 17.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 1 block per game. He also had 1.6 turnovers and 2.7 fouls. He shot 65.9% from the field and 53.8% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Zubac has averaged 31.5 minutes per game in the first 14 games, averaging 16 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1 block per game. He also has 2.1 turnovers and 2.6 fouls. His field goal percentage is 62.2% and his free throw percentage is 75%.

Although Zubac's data this season looks pretty good, and there doesn't seem to be any significant decline compared with last season, but from the actual situation, Zubac's influence on the game on the court and his dominance in the interior are far less than last season. Zubac did not play the role of an inside pillar very well, which has also greatly affected the Clippers' record so far. Zubac was one of the most stable players on the Clippers team last season, maintaining a high level of competitiveness during the regular season and playoffs. As a result, this season, he seems to have started playing for data instead of working hard for the team's victory. As long as you can produce such data in every game, you will basically be clocked out. If Zubac can only perform like this, it is unlikely that the Clippers' record will be substantially improved in a short period of time.