Индиана Пэйсерсийн хамгаалагч Тайрис Халибертон шинэ төвийн тоглогч Ивица Зубацтай хамтран тоглох нь багийнхаа довтолгооны хэв маягийг бүрэн өөрчлөх боломжтой гэж дүгнэжээ.
Тайрис Халибертон замналынхаа туршид хамт тоглодог төвийн тоглогчдодоо туслах үүрэгтэй байсан бол энэ удаад Ивица Зубацын бие бялдар, дэлгэц тавих чадвар нь өөрийнх нь тоглолтод эрс өөрчлөлт авчирна гэж үзэж байна. Хэдийгээр тэд талбай дээр одоогоор хамт тоглож үзээгүй ч Халибертон Зубацын дэлгэц тавих болон довтолгооныг үргэлжлүүлэх чадвар нь өмнө нь хамт тоглож байсан төвийн тоглогчдоос тэс өөр гэдгийг онцолжээ.
Индиана Пэйсерс Ивица Зубацыг хоёрдугаар сард Лос Анжелес Клипперсээс авсан бөгөөд тэрээр бэртлийн улмаас багийнхаа төлөө ердөө таван тоглолтод оролцсон юм. Харин Тайрис Халибертон 2025 оны NBA Finals-ийн долоо дахь тоглолтод авсан шөрмөсний бэртлийн улмаас 2025-26 оны улирлыг бүхэлд нь өнжсөн билээ.
Хэдийгээр багийн хамгаалагч Т.Ж. МакКоннелл Зубацын дэлгэц тавих чадварыг онцгойлон үнэлж, хамгаалагчдын ажлыг хөнгөвчилдөг гэж тодорхойлсон ч Халибертон уламжлалт төвийн тоглогчтой хамт тоглохын тулд тодорхой хэмжээний дасан зохицох шаардлагатай гэдгээ хүлээн зөвшөөрөв. Гэсэн хэдий ч Зубацын бие бялдар, самбараас бөмбөг авах чадвар болон дэлгэц тавих ур чадвар нь Индиана Пэйсерст өмнө нь байгаагүй шинэ орон зайг бий болгоно гэж үзэж байна.
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Tyrese Haliburton has spent most of his career making life easier for the big men around him. With Ivica Zubac now in Indiana, the Pacers star believes that relationship could work both ways.
“Playing with Ivica Zubac is going to be transformational for me,” Haliburton said, offering a striking assessment of a partnership that has yet to truly begin on the court.
“Playing with Ivica Zubac is going to be transformational for me.” – Tyrese Haliburton
Hali is hyped to finally play with Zubac this upcoming season. Are people sleeping on the Pacers? pic.twitter.com/mT1etMPLEX
— Numbers On The Board (@notbpod) August 19, 2026
Indiana acquired Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers in February, sending Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and draft compensation to Los Angeles (which unfortunately ended up being this year’s unprotected 5th overall pick). Zubac appeared in only five games for the Pacers after the trade as injuries limited his availability, while Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
That means one of Indiana’s most intriguing combinations remains entirely theoretical. Haliburton recently said he has had no on-court time with Zubac yet, but he does not view that as a major concern. What excites him is how different Zubac is from the centers he has traditionally played alongside. Haliburton specifically highlighted the Croatian big man’s screening and ability as a roll threat, noting that he has never played with a screen setter or roller quite like him.
That could significantly reshape the geometry of Indiana’s offense.
Haliburton is already one of basketball’s most creative pick-and-roll playmakers, capable of punishing defenses with pull-up shooting, skip passes and deliveries to cutters before openings fully develop. Zubac gives him a massive physical screener who can create separation at the point of attack and then put pressure on the rim immediately afterward.
The adjustment will not be entirely seamless. Haliburton acknowledged that his previous experience featured more floor spacing from the center position, meaning playing extensively with a traditional interior big will require some adaptation. But Zubac’s screening, rebounding and interior presence offer Indiana dimensions it did not previously possess in the same form. Pacers guard T.J. McConnell has already described Zubac’s screening as elite and said the center makes a point guard’s job easier.
There is also considerable intrigue surrounding what Zubac can do for Haliburton physically. Rather than forcing the guard to manufacture every advantage himself, a crushing screen can create the initial opening before Haliburton ever has to beat his defender off the dribble.
That is why “transformational” may not be an exaggeration so much as an indication of how Haliburton envisions the next version of Indiana’s offense.
The Pacers have already seen what their franchise guard can do when the game is played at his preferred pace. Now, for the first time, Haliburton will have a center whose size and screen-setting can create a different kind of space.
The post Tyrese Haliburton Believes Ivica Zubac Can Transform His Game In Indiana appeared first on OpenCourt Basketball.
