INDIANAPOLIS — When the Indiana Pacers social media department dropped a fresh gallery of photos from the team’s practice facility, it immediately sent shockwaves across the NBA landscape.
To the surprise of many, the images featured franchise cornerstone Tyrese Haliburton officially back on the hardwood and working out at team headquarters. Haliburton, who spent the latter portion of the year recovering from a significant injury, looked fluid, sharp, and entirely focused. Adding a touch of local flair and peak “tunnel walk” aesthetic to his return, Haliburton was spotted rocking a pair of Indiana Fever shorts—a subtle nod to the booming basketball culture in Indy.
While fans were deservingly fixated on Haliburton’s health and his choice of threads, there is a much bigger, under-the-radar storyline brewing inside the Pacers’ facility that people need to pay attention to.
Haliburton hasn’t been in the gym alone. He has been sharing the floor with Pacers big man Ivica Zubac.
I’m hearing that the Pacers’ coaching staff has been deliberately working with Zubac at the three-point line. The organization is incredibly bullish on this developmental wrinkle, believing that if Zubac can consistently stretch the floor, he will command gravity, draw double teams out to the perimeter, and open up massive driving lanes for Haliburton. The internal excitement for next season is already palpable.
For Zubac, extending his range and expanding his versatility is a welcome challenge. He has always been open to evolving his game, even though his foundation is rooted in the classical era of basketball.
In an exclusive interview I conducted with Zubac last year, the big man opened up about his deep appreciation for the vintage archetype of his position.
“I like being a traditional big,” Zubac told me when asked about his interior identity. “There’s not a lot of guys that do it anymore and traditional bigs will always have a place in the game especially if you can defend and protect the rim, rebound well; if you can finish down low I think that there’s always a place for a traditional big and I love doing that job; I love doing the dirty work and I like the role.”
That appreciation for the physical, blue-collar nature of the paint stems directly from the legends he watched to formulate his style.
“Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan,” Zubac said when asked who he grew up idolizing at the center position. “Those were my two favorite bigs playing both ways, very skilled in the post, defending at a high level — All NBA level and I really enjoy watching their highlights. I didn’t watch Hakeem growing up, he was before my time. I used to watch a lot of his highlights but, I got to watch Tim Duncan a little bit and really enjoyed watching their games.”
Zubac’s education in traditional low-post mastery didn’t just come from film. As a rookie, he received a masterclass from the most prolific scorer in basketball history—an experience that still resonates with him today.
“It was fun man! I couldn’t believe that it was happening to me — that was the first thing,” Zubac recalled of his workouts with the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “I worked out with the Lakers with Bill Berkhill and he’s been with the Lakers for 50-60 years! He’s 90-something so he’s worked out with Wilt [Chamberlain], Kareem, Shaq… you know? All those bigs. One day he invited Kareem to a workout to show me a couple things and that was fun. It was really something. I couldn’t believe it — it was my rookie year and I couldn’t believe that was happening.”
The ultimate takeaway from his time with the Captain? Mastering the most unstoppable shot in sports history.
“It was pretty much that we worked on the sky hook a lot. It was all about that hook shot! I learned a lot from him,” Zubac shared. “I use that hook shot every game, I work on it every day, I’m trying to perfect it and have one of the best hooks in the league and that one left handed hook shot? I’m still working on that, but it’s all about that hook shot. I learned a lot and in the workout he shot a couple, it was so smooth and it was crazy!”
The Scoop’s Take
While Zubac has spent his career perfecting the skyhook and honoring the standard set by Duncan and Olajuwon, the modern NBA demands adaptation. The news of his perimeter work alongside a healthy Haliburton signals that Indiana is looking to unlock a dynamic, multi-dimensional offense next season. If Zubac can successfully marry his elite interior presence with a reliable outside shot, the rest of the league is going to have a massive problem on their hands.
