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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 17: Center Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and guard Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks guard center Ivica Zubac #40 of the Indiana Pacers during the second half at Madison Square Garden on March 17, 2026 in New York City. The Knicks won 136-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Indiana Pacers have been the most injured team in the NBA this season. They have been missing Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. He isn’t the only player who has missed a significant amount of time this year.
Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, and Obi Toppin have all missed a large number of games. When he was still with the team, Bennedict Mathurin missed several games with an injury, as well. Even the newest Pacers player had some injury issues.
Ivica Zubac missed the first 15 games with Indiana after he was moved at the trade deadline. He had an ankle injury. Now, he has received even worse injury news.
Pacers Get Horrible Injury News With Ivica Zubac
According to Dustin Dopirak, Zubac will miss the rest of the season with a fractured rib. He suffered the injury in a game against the Trail Blazers. He will now be sitting out the rest of the season after only appearing in five games for Indiana.
This adds to the pile of injuries that the Pacers have had to deal with this season. Zubac should be fully healthy for next season, along with Haliburton. Indiana also has the worst record in the league right now, and they are hoping to land a top-four pick.
If their first-round pick doesn’t fall within the 1-4 range, it will go to the Clippers. Losing that pick would be devastating for Indiana’s chances of winning a championship next year. They are hoping to add a blue-chip prospect to a roster that made the Finals in 2025.
The coaching staff was hoping to have Zubac play a few more games this season to develop some chemistry with the players on the roster, but that will have to wait until next year. The most important thing is that everyone is healthy starting next season.
The Ivica Zubac Trade is a Huge Gamble Now for Indiana
With Zubac out for the season, the deadline deal to bring him in is even more of a gamble. He wasn’t able to play enough with the other starters to get a true feel for their tendencies. That means that the start of next season will be very important for him.
Possibly losing their 2026 first-round pick was baked in when they made the deal. Losing that pick would hurt even more if Zubac turns out to be a bad fit with the rest of the roster when everyone is healthy. Kevin Pritchard clearly thinks that he will fit with the roster; he wouldn’t have made the deal if he didn’t think so.
A fractured rib is something that should be healed up by the summer. That is when Haliburton should be fully cleared to start doing some five-on-five work at full speed. That is when Zubac and the rest of the team might be able to develop some chemistry on their own.
This injury does help Indiana’s chances of finishing the year with the worst record. They already have the worst offense in the league.
Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano
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