Lakers Should Take a Flier on 7-Foot-4 Serbian Fan Favorite

While the Los Angeles Lakers won’t be able to make a colossal free-agent splash at this point in the league year, they can still add a player who can pay dividends down the line. Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers don’t have another player over 30 years old, and could use another veteran voice in the locker room.

Chemistry matters, leadership matters and having good role models to help get the young guys through the rigors of an 82-game season matters. Who better to fill that role than everyone’s favorite 7-foot-4 Goldfish-loving Serbian Boban Marjanovic?

Boban wants to play, as he told Milun Nesovic of Meridian Sport:

“I’m waiting for the NBA, but if it doesn’t happen, there is a lot on paper going on,” Marjanovic said. “Every time you make plans, it doesn’t work out. Plans always change.”

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Everyone Loves Boban

Boban didn’t start playing in the NBA until he was 27 years old, when he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He began his basketball journey in Serbia, playing for youth teams before joining the professional ranks with Hemofarm of the EuroCup. His career in Europe saw him play for notable teams like CSKA Moscow and Žalgiris of the EuroLeague, topping out in 2014-15 with averages of 16.6 points and 10.7 rebounds in just 27.3 minutes per game.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn’t give Boban a ton of time on the court, only 9.4 minutes per game. With that, Boban put up impressive averages of 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds (21.0 points and 13.7 rebounds per 36 minutes). This would be a consistent theme over the years, as stops with the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets would have the same results.

Most fans probably won’t remember Boban for his efficient scoring and rebounding, but rather he’ll be loved as a fan favorite due to his charismatic personality and on-court antics. Most memorably, he had a very fun friendship with former teammate Tobias Harris, which included a series of humorous commercials for the snack Goldfish.

Apart from his basketball career, Boban has made appearances in films (already an LA connection), including a role in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

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Is He Worth a Roster Spot?

Setting proper expectations is important here. Boban can help on the court in very short spurts. He is 36 years old and has never played more than 681 minutes in any season, and hasn’t played more than 271 in his last four years. He’s not going to play a lot, it’s definitely going to be situational, a chess piece for new head coach JJ Redick to use at his discretion.

The Lakers were the league’s worst offensive rebounding team in 2023-24, securing just 8.2 per game. Anthony Davis had 239 and no other player had even 70. It’s a small sample size, but Boban averages 5.0 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes for his career and can help there.

Off the court, Boban is a great glue guy, a great locker room influence. Have you ever heard a bad word uttered about him? Absolutely not. Think about your co-workers for a minute. Are you more focused, do you work more efficiently and are your results better when you work around people who make you happy? Of course you do, it’s human nature. Boban is just one of those affable people that makes everyone around him smile. On a minimum contract, why not take a flier?

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