Clippers Starter Expected to Miss Significant Injury Time

Ivica Zubac has been the most durable Clippers player during the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era. The big man has played 360 out of the team's last 372 regular season games, but now it looks like that's going to change.

The Clippers announced that Ivica Zubac will miss at least one month due to his right calf strain injury. After one month, Zubac will be re-evaluated. The injury couldn't come at a worse time for the Clippers, as Zubac had started excelling in his role with James Harden, playing the best basketball of his career.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue revealed that as a result of Zubac's injury, backup center Mason Plumlee will be starting. Plumlee had already been dealing with a major injury of his own, missing over a month of time, so there was some concern with his own level of conditioning. Now, it's time for Plumlee to enter the fire.

Regardless, the Clippers acquired center depth position with both Mason Plumlee and Daniel Theis for a reason, and these moments will prove just how useful they are. The team has never had to deal with Ivica Zubac being out for an extended period of time, so this will be an interesting test. With the current timeline, one should expect the big man to be out for at least the All-Star break.