INGLEWOOD — Ivica Zubac cringed at the idea he needed help last season. Help? What for?

The 7-foot Croatian anchored the Clippers’ highly rated defense, going at it alone at the center position for 80 games while posting career-high numbers in points and a league-leading number of total rebounds.

In doing so, he established himself as one of the NBA’s premier interior defenders and earned a sixth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

“I told him (Coach Tyronn Lue) last year from the beginning I was like, if you need 48 (minutes) from me, I’m going to play 48. I felt pretty good,” Zubac said, who averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds over 32.8 minutes per game last season. “So, whatever they need out of me, I’m ready.”

Zubac, who shed 8-10 pounds over the summer, said he

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