Ivica Zubac, Rajon Rondo reunited on Clippers

LOS ANGELES — Rajon Rondo bounced a pass hard through the sliver of space between defenders in the lane, right into Ivica Zubac’s mitts, setting up the big man for an easy layup.

The play – performed by Rondo with one hand, basically – happened during a game of two-on-two against Svi Mykhailiuk and Moe Wagner (which Rondo and Zu dominated) after a Lakers shootaround back in early 2019.

The veteran guard – who the Clippers acquired in exchange for Lou Williams last week at the trade deadline – was recovering from a broken hand at the time. And Zubac was a green 21-year-old buried deep on the bench. Those circumstances led to the beginning of a partnership in two-on-two and three-on-three action on practice courts and in empty arenas before and after shootarounds.

Zubac’s Lakers tenure ended not long after, of course, when he was traded down the Staples Center hall to the Clippers for Mike Muscala on Feb. 7. But he and Rondo played 185 minutes together before then (when the Lakers were 6.1 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents) – and many more minutes unofficially.

“That was a long time ago,” Zubac said Monday before shootaround. “But I just remember I liked playing with him a lot. He’s obviously a great passer, sees everything on the court, you always gotta be ready with him, always gotta have your hands up.”

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For Rondo’s part, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he returned to L.A. with his antennae up.

Rondo wasn’t available for the Clippers against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, missing his second game since joining the team with right adductor soreness, but he’s been active otherwise, keen and quick to learn. He asked for the team’s playbook immediately and spent his first game stationed beside assistant coach Jeremy Castleberry, peppering him with questions during the game and then with more afterward when they reviewed film.

“He’s pretty much picked up the things we put in already,” said Lue, who knows Rondo well from his four seasons working closely with him as a young coach in Boston. “Like, just showing him not all of our stuff but the stuff we’ve showed him over the last couple of days, he pretty much knows.”

That aligns with what Zubac remembers about Rondo.

“His basketball IQ is probably the highest from a guy I’ve played with,” Zubac said. “The way he sees the game is different.”

And Zubac said he thinks the chemistry that was beginning to develop with Rondo a few years ago could benefit his transition with the Clippers in the middle of this season.

“I mean, I think it can help,” Zubac said. “I remember when I got traded to Clippers, I was happy Lou Williams was here because I already played with him and it would make it easier for me, so I think it’s gonna be helpful and that chemistry that we had before, it can work again.”

SPEAKING OF LOU

Zubac said his connection with Williams – they played together on the Lakers for part of the 2016-17 season, the center’s rookie year, before being reunited on the Clippers in 2018-19 – made it especially tough to see the three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year dealt to Atlanta.

“It was tough, it was,” said Zubac, who has mostly come off the bench this season and therefore logged 599 minutes on the court with Williams, more than the past two seasons combined. “I’ve been playing with Lou for most of my career, and I learned a lot of stuff from Lou. And I love playing with him, I love being his teammate. So it was definitely tough, because you know, we were in this together.

“But I guess that’s how the league works, and Lou knows that, he’s been in the league for a while, he is a veteran that’s been through a lot of stuff so he understands it.”

INJURIES

All-Star forward Paul George was a late scratch for the Clippers on Monday because of right foot soreness. He missed seven consecutive games in February as he dealt with swelling in a toe in the same foot.

He joined Patrick Beverley (right knee soreness), Serge Ibaka (lower back tightness) and Rondo on the sideline with an injury.