Clipper Nation has spoken; they want to see more of the dancing giant this year. In this reading, we take a look at how likely that is to happen as well as the effects of Boban Marjanovic playing more minutes.
In the LA Clippers’ preseason opener victory, Boban Marjanovic played just one minute. In that time, he had two points and a rebound. The minutes that players see in preseason games rarely reflects the amount of time they receive during the regular season, so we will take Marjanovic’s playing time yesterday and in future preseason games with a grain of salt.
Will Boban Marjanovic play more minutes in the regular season?
We can’t guarantee anything, only predict, and my prediction is that he receives more minutes per game than he ever has for a team; More on that later. As far as evidence goes, however, here is a something from Doc Rivers regarding a possible lineup:
Black jersey team right now is Gallo, Tobias, Avery, Lou and Pat. Doc Rivers suggested last week this could be the team’s closing lineup (with Luc Mbah a Moute inserted at times as well).
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 25, 2018
From a coaching standpoint, leaving Marjanovic out of the lineups for games’ closing minutes makes sense. Using this faster, more aggressive lineup with Gallinari stretching the center position could be an effective defensive strategy. We also know that Marcin Gortat, acquired this Summer from the Wizards for Austin Rivers, will be starting.
So when will Marjanovic be on the court? It is safe to predict Boban Marjanovic as the Clippers’ primary backup center (outside of small ball lineups), so unless a Gortat-included or small ball lineup is in use, Marjanovic should be on the court.
Boban Marjanovic’s past playing times
The most time that the 7’3″ center has ever seen per game in a season was with the Spurs back in 2015 at just 9.4 minutes per game. He played 8.9 minutes per game during his two seasons with the Detroit Pistons, and 8.3 last season with the Clips. It’s worth noting that when Marjanovic did play a significant amount of minutes with LA, he produced.
For example, last season he put up 18 points and 6 rebounds in 15 minutes, 15 points and 9 rebounds in 22 minutes, as well as 14 points in two games and 12 points in two games. To put it simply, he can be counted on.
So why isn’t he receiving more minutes?
At first, it was because he was playing mostly behind DeAndre Jordan and Montrezl Harrell. Another reason was his conditioning and big body that he has to move to keep up with the player he is guarding. If an opponent is constantly getting past, around, or under Marjonavic, despite his blocking ability, he can become a liability on defense. After an offseason of hard work and dancing (a great conditioning test), Marjanovic is expected to come back with his best mobility and stamina yet.
Showing improvement in his IQ, mobility, and conditioning are some ways that Marjanovic can show his worthiness of more minutes for the Los Angeles Clippers. We know it’s impressive to see a player of such height on move around the court the way Boban Marjanovic does, and we hope to see more of it so long as it helps the Clippers win games in the 2018-2019 season.