At 7-4 and 290 pounds, Boban Marjanovich is the largest player in the NBA.
So he’s used to adapting to things like showers that spray no higher than his chest and too-small beds.
But the Mavericks’ center with the ever-cheerful outlook on life has been pleasantly surprised by at least one aspect of the Orlando “bubble,” which the Mavericks entered last week and will be in until at least late August.
“Nothing weird so far,” Marjanovic said Sunday after a robust practice session. “We’re getting used to this. The food so far is good. The room is good.
“And the bed is great. I must be honest. I think I’ve slept better here than my real bed at home. I really enjoy it. I can get 12 hours sleep. I never could before.”
The Mavericks want Marjanovic as comfortable as possible because he’s going to play a big role (literally and figuratively) when the season restarts later this month. With big men Dwight Powell and Willie Cauley-Stein unavailable, Marjanovic will be backing up Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber.
The last time we saw Boban, he was dropping 31 points and 17 rebounds on the Denver Nuggets on March 11, the day the season got interrupted by the coronavirus.
Now, the Mavericks know his production is going to be necessary in the eight-game restart of the season and, after that, the playoffs that are scheduled to start in mid-August.
“He’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing, particularly coming off that 31-and-17 in the Denver game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “That was a spectacular performance and he’s a very talented player. He’s a force around the basket, he’s a great offensive rebounder, makes his free throws, good passer.
“He’s very underrated as a playmaker for a guy 7-foot-4.”
Marjanovic knows his role. His rebounding is crucial and he isn’t afraid to take his game away from the basket on the offensive end. He obviously can see over any defense and has a flair for finding teammates.
And he’s made four 3-pointers this season, equaling his total from last season.
To that end, Marjanovic showed up on a conference call Sunday sporting a shooting sleeve – on his left arm. That would be his non-shooting hand. But it didn’t stop Boban from having a little fun with it.
“I see the guys with the sleeve shooting better threes,” Marjanovic said. “You will see if I don’t wear it, if I start to make more threes, I’ll blame my sleeve.”
Sleeve or not, his shooting from beyond the arc is no joking matter to Carlisle. Marjanovic is a fixture in the locker room with his good humor and frank conversations. But to get consistent playing time in Carlisle’s system, just about everybody has to shoot the long ball.
“Ever since he’s gotten here, he’s been such a positive personality in the locker room and on the court,” Carlisle said. “With him, it’s all good. And he’s been working on his 3-point shooting, as well.”
Marjanovic is averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in only nine minutes per game. That’s remarkable productivity for a player who typically plays only short bursts of minutes.
But that last game against Denver when Porzingis was being held out for injury management could be a glimpse of bigger and better things for Boban.
In six March games before the season was halted, he averaged 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 12.4 minutes.
Now he will try to translate that to the final eight games in the bubble and the playoffs. It’s a challenge that Marjanovic will approach the same way he approaches everything else – by having fun with it.
“We enjoy it here,” he said. “It’s so fun to be here on the court playing basketball again. Enjoying my teammates, preparing for the games, preparing for the playoffs. I wish we had cameras around 24/7 to film us.
“It’s nothing weird. The situation is different. But basketball is the same. Teammates are the same. Nothing’s changed.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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