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NBA player comparison

Gary Payton II vs. Ivica Zubac: 2025–26 season

hussEyquation2025–26 season · regular-season impact
Regular-season verdict

Gary Payton II leads in impact for 2025–26

Gary Payton II ranks ahead of Ivica Zubac in estimated impact while playing. This compares regular-season performance, not total contribution across the season.

Impact comparison

Impact estimate is measured in points per 100 possessions above league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Impact Rate rank is a league place, not a 0–100 score: No. 1 is best.

+0.84LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.80
#139Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#129Leads
-0.94LeadsEstimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions-1.20
+0.42Estimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+0.79Leads
2.8%LeadsSteal rate0.6%
12.5%LeadsTurnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload13.6%
18.4%Offensive usage19.2%
63.2%LeadsTrue shooting %62.2%
16.9%LeadsAssist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court11.3%
12.9%Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court20.4%Leads
73Games48
1,142Minutes1,446

Gary Payton II's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +0.84, compared with +0.80 for Ivica Zubac. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.

Gary Payton II: 73 games and 1,142 minutes. Ivica Zubac: 48 games and 1,446 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.

Ivica Zubac ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.

Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.

2025–26 season · regular-season impacthusseyquation.com/compare/gary-payton-ii/ivica-zubac/2025-26

Behind the estimate

Why the model rates them this way

The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.

Gary Payton IIMetricIvica Zubac
+1.62LeadsFrom recorded individual stats+0.31
-0.77Adjustment from recent lineup results+0.48Leads
+0.84LeadsFinal estimated impact+0.80

Lineup evidence: Gary Payton II — 3 seasons; Ivica Zubac — 3 seasons. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.

Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season

These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.

Gary Payton IIMetricIvica Zubac
+0.42Adjusted offensive impact+0.79Leads
-0.94LeadsAdjusted defensive impact-1.20

What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.

Share this comparisonSocial card: every summary row. Link preview: six key figures.

Full comparison · 2025–26 season

Understand the numbers

Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.

1 · Ranking evidence

Impact: who ranks higher, and why?

The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.

Impact: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.84Better result for this metric.+0.80
Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#139#129Better result for this metric.
From recorded individual stats+1.62Better result for this metric.+0.31
Adjustment from recent lineup results-0.77+0.48Better result for this metric.

Gary Payton II: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. Ivica Zubac: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.

Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Final estimated impact+0.84Better result for this metric.+0.80

2 · Playing time and responsibility

How much did each player take on?

Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.

Playing time and workload: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Games7348
Minutes1,1421,446
Offensive usage18.4%19.2%

3 · Individual skills

Where does each player have an advantage?

These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.

Shooting

True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.

Shooting: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
True shooting percentage63.2%Better result for this metric.62.2%
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Field-goal percentage58.3%59.8%Better result for this metric.
Three-point percentage29.1%Unavailable
Free-throw percentage65.0%71.1%Better result for this metric.
Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality30.6%0.0%

Passing

Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.

Passing: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court16.9%Better result for this metric.11.3%
Assists per game1.72.2Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload12.5%Better result for this metric.13.6%

Rebounding

Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.

Rebounding: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court12.9%20.4%Better result for this metric.
Rebounds per game3.610.6Better result for this metric.

Defense

Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.

Defense: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Steal rate2.8%Better result for this metric.0.6%
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court1.7%2.6%Better result for this metric.

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Points per game7.514.1Better result for this metric.

4 · Team context, not ranking inputs

What happened with and without them?

A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.

Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates

These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.

Adjusted lineup estimates: Gary Payton II and Ivica Zubac
MetricGary Payton IIIvica Zubac
Adjusted offensive impact+0.42+0.79Better result for this metric.
Adjusted defensive impact-0.94Better result for this metric.-1.20

Four separate questions

Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards

These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.

Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Gary Payton II leads in impact for 2025–26.

Gary Payton IIMetricIvica Zubac
+0.84LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.80
#139Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#129Leads

This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.

Context

Team Success

Ivica Zubac leads every available measure below.

Gary Payton IIMetricIvica Zubac
478Listed-team regular-season wins490Leads
49.6%Listed-team winning percentage50.8%Leads
150-win team seasons2Leads
060-win team seasons0
5Playoff team seasons6Leads

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.

Context

Playoff Résumé

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Gary Payton IIMetricIvica Zubac
3Playoff appearances6Leads
35Playoff games52Leads
27LeadsTeam playoff wins25
1LeadsFinals appearances0
1LeadsChampionships0

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.

Context

Awards

No recorded measure separates these careers.

Gary Payton IIMetricIvica Zubac
Not availableAll-Star0
Not availableMVP0
Not availableAll-NBA0
Not availableAll-Defense1
Not availableDPOY0
Not availableRookie of the Year0

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.

How each context field is counted
Listed-team regular-season wins
The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
Listed-team winning percentage
Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
50- and 60-win team seasons
Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
Team seasons reaching playoffs
Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
Playoff appearances and games
Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
Team playoff wins
Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
Finals appearances and championships
Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
Awards
Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.

Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.

Selected seasons

Box impact

Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.

Gary Payton IIIvica Zubac

Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average

1
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.