Zubac suffers rib fracture, season over! Played 5 games for Pacers, all losses, looking forward to partnering with Hali next season.

On March 20 Beijing time, according to Pacers reporter Dopirak, Pacers center Zubac suffered a rib fracture in Thursday's loss to the Trail Blazers and will miss all remaining games this season due to the injury.

Zubac left Thursday's game early after being hit in the head by Klingen's elbow; in post-game interviews he mentioned only a head contusion. It is currently unclear exactly which play caused the rib fracture.

Zubac was traded from the Clippers to the Pacers at the February trade deadline while still recovering from a left ankle sprain, and only made his Pacers debut last week. This season he played only 48 games due to various injuries.

In his 5 games as the Pacers' starting center (all team losses), Zubac averaged 23.6 minutes per game, scoring 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His full-season averages this year are 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 30.1 minutes per game.

Although Zubac played only a few games for the Pacers this season, the team's trade for him was focused on the 2026-27 season and beyond. The Pacers hope that with a healthy Zubac anchoring the interior next season and star guard Hali returning from an Achilles injury, they can build on last June's near-championship run and re-emerge as title contenders.