Recently, Clippers player Zubac was interviewed by the US media Basketball Network.
Q: "This season is your first time playing time per game of more than 30 minutes (32.8 minutes). Is this mainly due to injuries and a shortage of available players, or is it that Tyron Lu and his coaching staff told you before the season that it would be like this?"
Zubac: "In fact, they had already suggested in the playoffs last season that I started playing time for more than 30 minutes, and the offense revolved around me more. For the first time, they really let me dominate the offense at a low post, and then I knew that my role would be expanded. After the season, the general manager, the team president and Tyron Lu Said the same thing to me - I will take on a bigger role and should be prepared for it. "
" When we didn't renew Paul George, it really created a chance for other players to stand up. I mean, you have to make up for his 25-point average, which gave the rest of us more phone calls and responsibilities. I knew it would be like this when I entered the offseason. So I prepared accordingly - I was polishing my low-post skills all summer because I knew I would get a lot of touch opportunities at the lows, and I also paid great attention to physical and strength training because I knew You will have a lot more playing time than in previous years. "
Question: "When you enter this season with the expectation of taking on a certain leadership role, when did you realize that you are going through the best season of your career - not just a very good period, but truly becoming one of the most stable and excellent centers in the league?"
Zubac: "From the first game, I could feel that things would be different - I would get more touch opportunities. I scored 20 points in three consecutive games at the beginning of the season, which was the first time in my life that I started this way The season started. That’s when I realized that things had changed and I’d get more opportunities. I understand that with playing time and low touches, plus more shooting attempts, I had to devote myself to recovery and strength training to get through the whole season. I really focused on that. You go through some stages, so tired and don’t even care who the opponent is, what happened – you just want to finish the game. So, after the first three games, I felt that it was going to be a different season, and since then, I completely changed my mindset and some habits to adapt and deal with that rhythm. ”