Ivica Zubac's Ankle Strikes Again: Pacers Center Unlikely for Monday

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle just dropped the classic good news, bad news combo meal. The good news is Ivica Zubac had his ankle X-rayed and the results came back negative. The bad news is he is still highly unlikely to suit up for Monday's game.

Hearing "X-rays negative" is supposed to be a massive relief, but in the modern NBA, it usually just means a guy is going to miss a week in designer street clothes instead of a month in a medical walking boot. For a Pacers frontcourt that relies heavily on Zubac to do the dirty work, missing him on a Monday night is a brutal way to start the week.

"Carlisle: Ivica Zubac (ankle) unlikely to play on Monday. X-rays were negative. (per @ScottAgness)"

If you feel like you have read this exact injury update before, your memory is working perfectly. Zubac has been battling lower-body issues for a while now, missing chunks of time last season with multiple ankle sprains before a fractured rib finally ended his 2025-26 campaign in March.

His absence completely flips the board for anyone looking at Monday's slate. Zubac is a walking double-double threat who anchors the paint, meaning opposing big men are about to see a massive bump in their rebounding props without him standing in the way.

Indiana traded serious draft capital and rotation pieces to the Los Angeles Clippers back in February just to get a reliable center. When he plays, the fit is undeniable. When he sits, the Pacers are forced to scramble their rotation and ask smaller guys to play out of position against true heavyweights.

For now, consider Zubac officially on the shelf for Monday. The Pacers will have to patch together a frontcourt by committee, and fans will just have to hold their breath hoping this latest ankle tweak does not turn into another multi-week saga.