The state is not bad, but the dominance of the Clippers interior pillars has really declined significantly compared to last season?

In a previous NBA Cup game, the Los Angeles Clippers, playing at home, defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 126-124 with Kawhi Leonard's buzzer-beater. After this game, the Clippers' record improved to 3 wins and 2 losses; while the Pelicans, who suffered five consecutive losses, dropped to 0 wins and 5 losses, and they still have not won a victory.

In this game, the performance of the Clippers' starting center Ivica Zubac actually had quite a problem. Zubac played 33 minutes and 36 seconds, making 5 of 7 shots and 4 of 4 free throws. He had a double-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks. He also had 5 fouls and a plus-minus of +2. Zubac still showed good scoring and finishing abilities on the offensive end. He also seized a few opportunities and scored a lot of points, which can be regarded as providing certain support for the team. On the defensive end, Zubac also has a certain ability to protect the basket and defend inside. His performance in rebound protection is also pretty good. But the problem is that Zubac's shortcomings in movement speed are simply exploited crazily by Zion Williamson, who also scored a lot of points on Zubac. Zubac has had a certain effect, but his problems on the defensive end are also very obvious, which actually caused the team to fall into a crisis on the defensive end to a large extent.

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 28.8 minutes per game in the first 5 games, averaging 15.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He also has 1.8 turnovers and 2 fouls. His field goal percentage is 64.7% and his free throw percentage is 90.9%.

Zubac's performance in these games is certainly not very bad, and he can still maintain a stable level. But the problem is that Zubac's performance last season was amazing. In comparison, his performance this season seems a bit mediocre. Even though Zubac's statistics still don't seem to have dropped significantly, his contribution on the court, especially his dominance on the defensive end, is far less than last season. Zubac's importance to the Clippers is obvious to the naked eye. He was also one of the Clippers' most consistent players last season. If he cannot improve his level, this may also have a certain impact on the Clippers' record this season.