Dallas Mavericks: Boban Marjanovic ready to dominate World Cup opener

Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic is playing for his native Serbia at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Here is a preview of their opening game.

The Dallas Mavericks added 7’3 big man Boban Marjanovic this offseason. He is an impressive per-minute contributor. Marjanovic’s playing time is limited by size and defensive abilities, though.

Bobi is taking on the challenge of playing for his country at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. His Serbian squad went undefeated in their ten exhibition games leading up to the competition. Marjanovic shares his thoughts on that and representing his country in a recent article.

The World Cup begins on Aug. 31. Here is a bit of a preview of Serbia’s first game against Angola to kick off the competition. Dallas Mavericks supporters can watch on ESPN+. It begins at 2:30 a.m. local time in Dallas on Saturday morning/Friday night.

Scouting the opponent

Angola enters the tournament ranked 31st of the 32 teams in FIBA’s Power Rankings. Serbia sits atop that list.

Angola does not have an NBA player on their roster. They lost both their exhibition games in the build-up to the tournament. Representing your country is always a special opportunity, so expect them to play hard on Saturday.

Marjanovic poised to standout

Angola’s tallest player is 6’10. They also have one man that stands 6’9. Serbia is going to be a difficult matchup for them because they feature Boban and Nikola Jokic at the five. Angola faced Lithuania in an exhibition earlier this week. The combination of Jonas Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis had their way against them.

The Serbian National Team has allowed Marjanovic to do a bit of playmaking in their exhibition slate. That is something to watch for on Saturday. The team runs plenty of sets featuring Jokic’s playmaking chops. Marjanovic backs him up at center and receives a lesser version of those plays.

Bobi could have a massive game on Aug. 31. Serbia figures to play him additional minutes if they have the game in hand. It could be a massive double-double from Boban Marjanovic to kick off the tournament.

The Smoking Cuban will be covering Boban’s run in the 2019 World Cup plus all the news on the Dallas Mavericks in the lead up to the season, so returning often is encouraged.