LOS ANGELES (USA) - Croatia star Ivica Zubac had a very good summer by most measuring sticks.
He proved, or reconfirmed, at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus that he's one of the best centers in the world, finishing with the tournament's highest efficiency of 33.0 EFFPG, a stat made all the more impressive considering his rating was higher than Giannis Antetokounmpo's 23.0 for Greece.
The 2.16m (7ft 1in) Zubac was the OQT's fourth leading scorer at 22.8 points-per-game and the leading rebounder at 11.3 rebounds. He had two double-doubles in four games.
The only downside to the summer?
"Didn't make the Olympics, unfortunately," he said at the Los Angeles Clippers media day.
Even so, Zubac, after leading Croatia through last year's Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament, got them to within one win of the 12-team Olympics in France. Croatia fell 80-69 to Greece in the OQT Final, though Zubac could hardly have played any better with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes.
His stock rose at the OQT. His performances certainly did not hurt him in the eyes of the Clippers, who gave him a lucrative three-year contract extension after the tournament.
The OQT was an opportunity for Zubac to show he can be a force on offense.
Now with Russell Westbrook and Paul George having left for the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively, he's expected to get a lot more touches in the paint with the Clippers.
"I feel like I've been preparing for it my whole life," he said. And a summer with Croatia certainly prepared him in the best way possible to assume a larger role on offense.
That's how I played with my national team. I get more touches, play a lot in the post, a lot of stuff goes through me so that helped me a lot to prepare for the season and I'll be ready.
"Past years, there were not a lot of chances. We had a lot of guys that were a priority on offense, I just had to play my role. This year will be bigger on offense."
FIBA