NBA: Biggest X-factor for all 30 teams in the 2019-20 season

LA Clippers: Ivica Zubac

For all the talent the LA Clippers have at nearly every position, they are noticeably thin on the front line.

Montrezl Harrell emerged as a ferocious defender and rebounder for LA, but given how well he performed as a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award, Doc Rivers may be better off keeping him in that same role.

That leaves Ivica Zubac as the only other legitimate option for the starting center position. After being traded from the Clippers’ Staples Center co-tenant, the 21-year-old proceeded to average 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in just over 20 minutes a night.

He’s a throwback to the more traditional seven-footer with a soft touch and the size to free up his perimeter teammates on screens.

Zubac isn’t one for 3-pointers or defending in space, but his hulking frame helps him protect the rim by holding the opposition to just 52.3 percent shooting within six feet of the basket.

Despite the spaced-out downsized lineups of 2019, there is still value in a player like Zubac who can control the tempo via the glass and establish a presence in the restricted area.

He may at times get exposed guarding smaller players, but that’s where Harrell comes in to limit those situations.

At 21 years of age, Zubac is still fairly inexperienced and has plenty of work to do before he can be considered a finished product.

He isn’t likely to finish most games, but the continued progression of an already impressive skillset could give LA another dimension to complement a core in pursuit of a championship.