Zubac, Haliburton and Siakam Quickly Building Chemistry for Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers were elated last February when they were able to acquire Ivica Zubac hours before the NBA trade deadline.

Upon his arrival, the team held him out of action as he rehabbed an ankle injury that he suffered with the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the season. Once recovered from the injury, Zubac suited up for the Pacers but was only able to play in five games before a broken rib shut him down for the remainder of the season.

Unfortunately, Zubac did not log one minute of action with Pascal Siakam or Tyrese Haliburton, as both were sidelined with injuries.

This offseason has been their first and only chance to hit the floor together, but it had to wait until the players-only minicamp took place in Nashville, Tennessee a few weeks ago.

During media day interviews, Haliburton spoke about his short court time with Big Zu.

Haliburton on Developing Chemistry with Zubac

“The chemistry is coming along well,” Haliburton said. “The more experience and the more time we get together, the more it's going to help. The more we spend time off the court I think helps as well."

Zubac's reputation around the league is that he is a great person to be around off the court and Haliburton concurs.

"I've gotten to know him really well and he's a really cool dude, which I've heard that from everybody who's been around him," Haliburton said.

The dynamic is a drastic change from Haliburton's previous pick-and-roll partner, Myles Turner, but he is confident in making things work with Big Zu.

"It's a different dynamic in a sense of Myles is more of a finesse guy, a spacer, shooter," Haliburton said. "Zu is a very physical guy, hard screen setter, roller, plays more above the rim with lobs and rebounding."

When Haliburton first came into the NBA, he thought the archetype of center he would play with was more like Zubac and less like Turner. And just like he had to adjust to Turner, he will have to do the same for Big Zu.

"I feel like we're both pretty intelligent basketball players and I feel like it will work out," Haliburton said. "We spent a lot of time together these last couple of weeks. I have no concerns. You put good basketball players around me and I feel like I'll do pretty well."

Siakam on Learning to Play with Zubac

Not only does Zubac have to develop chemistry with Haliburton, he has to learn to play with Siakam.

This is not the first time that Siakam has played with a more traditional center, but similar to Haliburton, it will be an adjustment period from playing next to a floor spacer.

When asked about the on-court development with him and Zubac, Siakam raved about his new teammate.

"He's an awesome basketball player," Siakam said. "He's a big guy. You don't really realize it till you're out there playing with him. He's a massive human being and he's awful smart."

Siakam continued to praise Zubac's basketball intellect and what makes him such a gifted player.

"His IQ is super high. His passing ability, things that you don't see till you get up close, he reads the game well," Siakam said. "Just a phenomenal basketball player, and again, super smart."

The gravity on the court will be different with Zubac at the starting center spot, but Siakam reiterated that this is not the first time he has played with a big who possesses the same skill set as him.

"I played with big guys of his size a little bit before," Siakam said. "I understand it's a different kind of gravity compared to other people, but he has that, and we're excited to have him on the team."

Zubac on Getting Familiar with the Pacers' system, Haliburton and Siakam

While Haliburton and Siakam both have to get familiar with Zubac, he has a bigger challenge of learning the tendencies of the Pacers top two players and figuring out where he fits in.

Thankfully, Zubac got a head start on devleoping that chemistry at their player's only minicamp.

"Going to the minicamp I thought was really important," Zubac said. "Being on a new team and having such high expectations, it's better to start a little earlier with having never been on the floor with Ty or P before. It was good to get a feel of it before (training) camp."

Getting traded in February compared to being acquired in the offseason allowed for Zubac to understand what he needed to focus on this offseason to fit in.

"First of all, I was brought here because of the stuff that I can do at a high level and a lot of that stuff I worked on this summer just to get better at everything I do," Zubac said. "Then conditioning. I think being ready to run more and be in better shape is going to be big for me. So, I focused on that this summer and feel like I'm in pretty good shape right now."

Throughout his career, Zubac has played with a handful of skilled point guards: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, John Wall, Reggie Jackson and Isaiah Thomas to name a few.

Each one of these point guards are unique, but none of them play like Haliburton. Zubac explained what the difference in playing with Haliburton is compared to others and how long he anticipates it will take to jell with him.

"I don't think it will take long," Zubac said. "We didn't spend much time together on the court, but the time we did, it felt really natural. For me, it was never hard playing with smart point guards. He's a very high-IQ player, and he's going to make the right reads."

Lastly, Zubac shared that he is looking to expand his game and has been putting in the work to do so this offseason.

"I think it's very important to find that balance of doing what I do (well) and we're working on a shot," Zubac shared. "We're going to keep working on it and see if it makes sense. But for now, I'm focused on doing what I do best, and improving ny shot in the workouts, and then we'll see if it makes sense."

Final Thoughts

Big Zu — Sep 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) poses for a photo during media day. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The high basketball IQ shared by Zubac, Haliburton and Siakam has helped accelerate a chemistry that is still in its early stages. Their time together at the players-only minicamp provided an important head start, allowing all three to begin learning each other before training camp.

Zubac may be doing more of the adjusting to Indiana's style, but the Pacers are finding enough middle ground to make the partnership work both ways.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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