Where are they now? Former Detroit Pistons center Boban Marjanović

A larger than life center, former Detroit Pistons player Boban Marjanović has bounced around since his time on the team. Where is he now?

Boban Marjanović was probably my favorite short-term Detroit Pistons player, probably ever. My first time going to a Pistons game was highlighted by a spectator sitting in front of my group yelling “Oh yeah Boban, stretch it out!” as the 7-foot-4 phenom was warming up to enter the game against the Indiana Pacers.

While it can easily be argued that he was overpaid for what he contributed as a Piston, it’d be hard to find a better fan favorite that NBA fans far and wide all seemingly root for than Boban. He signed a three-year, $21 million contract with Detroit in 2016 after a short time with the San Antonio Spurs. The world changed when Marjanović and Tobias Harris were introduced and became the NBA’s most loved duo, Tobi and Bobi.

Since his time with the Pistons, Marjanović has been with three other teams, two of which he was traded alongside his pal Harris. The pair went to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Blake Griffin trade and then went to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018. During the 2019 offseason, Marjanović left Harris behind as he joined fellow Europeans Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis on the Dallas Mavericks, continuing his hi-jinks. Just look how huge his hands are.

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As a basketball talent, Marjanović isn’t necessarily the greatest player on the planet. He’s helped by his ability to palm the ball on rebounds and also dunk without even needing to jump. And for that, he’s been fun. There’s something very endearing about his personality.

He’s never played in more than 58 games in a season. In fact, he appeared in 54 games during his two-ish years with the Detroit Pistons. Followed by his 56 games as a Clipper in his two-ish years in Los Angeles. He played 22 games with the 76ers. And five games as a Maverick.

Marjanović’s time with the Spurs saw him average 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 9.4 minutes per contest. He saw more of the same as a member of the Pistons He set career-highs with the team, scoring 27 points in one contest and grabbing 19 rebounds in another.

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His time in Philadelphia saw his biggest uptick in time on the court as he averaged 14 minutes per game and 8.2 points per game. He also made a 3-point shot before 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons. In fact, he made four 3-point shots. Simmons still has yet to make one.

Marjanović has a career field goal percentage of 58 percent, which is easy to accomplish when, as I said, he doesn’t have to jump for anything. He’s not qualified for the all-time list, but for reference, Deandre Jordan is the all-time field goal percentage leader with 67 percent followed by Tyson Chandler with 59 percent. Marjanović’s lifestyle and playstyle aren’t sustainable for playing 36 minutes per game. But just for fun, his per-36 numbers are 22 points and 14.6 rebounds per contest.

The definition of a gentle giant, Marjanović has a knack for making teammates, media, fans, and all laugh and smile wherever he goes. Whether he is rubbing the noggin of future (hopefully) multi-time MVP Luka Dončić or driving a go-kart as his means of transportation, he never fails to make the most of his time in the spotlight. In a social media-friendly era of basketball were Twitter and Instagram and House of Highlights all reign supreme for NBA content, Boban was perfectly made for this period.

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So to answer the question of the article, where is Boban now? Well, he’s with the Dallas Mavericks not playing that much, but surrounded by exceptional, young talent in Dončić and Porzingis. Oh, and he’s also a spokesman for Big Blanket. And those blankets are big. And expensive.

(Writer’s note: I love Boban so much).