Boban Marjanovic is a major NBA fan favorite. Home and away fans always burst into applause whenever he checks into a game. Marjanovic seems to be everybody’s favorite teammate and can bring a smile to one’s face with ease. He’s everything fans love about the NBA. When he’s not making every player on the bench laugh or fighting to the death in a library (see John Wick 3), it can’t be forgotten that he’s actually a very skilled basketball player. The NBA Disney bubble presents a great opportunity for him to take his game to the next level.
Boban Marjanovic is Ready to Shine
Dallas Mavericks Frontcourt Depth
The Dallas Mavericks are going to begin bubble play with a thin frontcourt. Dwight Powell began the season as the starting center, but he was ruled out for the season in late January. Dallas replaced him by acquiring Willie Cauley-Stein, but he opted out of the bubble for personal reasons.
That leaves the Mavericks with three “big men.” Those are Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, and of course, Marjanovic.
Dallas adjusted to a new line-up after Powell’s injury that features Porzingis starting at the five. Dorian Finney-Smith, normally a wing player, starts the game at the four. That leaves Kleber and Marjanovic coming off the bench.
Kleber has been a mainstay in the Mavericks lineup for a couple of seasons now. He’s a terrific defender and a forward who can stretch the floor. Kleber can also play both the four and the five.
Marjanovic is limited to minutes at the five, but that fits him best. His size limits his athleticism, but then again being the tallest player on the floor has its benefits. The Mavericks can’t always opt for smaller line-ups in a conference loaded with elite big men, so Marjanovic will see a lot more minutes than he’s used to.
Clear Talent
Every team wants a player like Marjanovic. He’s a major positive for team chemistry even if he doesn’t see a minute on the hardwood. He has what it takes to be a contributor, however.
He’s putting up modest numbers for the season with about six points and four rebounds per game. That comes in just nine minutes per game. That puts his per-36 averages at roughly 25 points and 16 rebounds per game. Those numbers put him up there among the league’s best in players who play around that amount of minutes.
Marjanovic’s unique size, however, doesn’t quite allow him to constantly play that many minutes. He will get an increased workload in Orlando, so expect his numbers to go up. It can’t be forgotten that he put up 31 points and 17 rebounds in 31 minutes in the Mavericks’ last official game. That also came versus the Denver Nuggets, where Marjanovic was on Nikola Jokic for the majority of the game.
The Mavericks’ recent scrimmage versus the Los Angeles Lakers gave fans another sneak peek at Marjanovic’s role. He recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds in under 24 minutes of play. Scrimmages aren’t as competitive as official games, but it showed that Marjanovic will definitely see an increase in both minutes and production.
He’s an offensive rebounding machine with a sweet one-handed shot that he can make with ease within 15 feet of the basket. He’s also been more willing to shoot from the outside, making the Mavericks a major offensive threat with their constant ability to stretch the floor.
It’s premature to say that Boban Marjanovic will take Orlando by storm, but he’s going to be a major X-factor for Dallas.
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