Mavericks: Did Boban Marjanovic earn a rotation spot after dropping 31?

Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic set a new career-high 31 points against the Nuggets on March 11. Did it earn him more consistent minutes?

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. It was a nationally televised game on ESPN that featured two playoff-bound teams.

Things took unexpected turns left and right. First, the game between the Thunder and Jazz was called off after both teams were on the floor. Then, the announcement came that the NBA was suspending the season because of the coronavirus. This all happened while the Mavericks and Nuggets were battling it out on the court.

There were unexpected turns inside the American Airlines Center too. The Mavs were without Kristaps Porzingis, Seth Curry, and Dorian Finney-Smith against the Nuggets. Boban Marjanovic got the fill-in start at the five and had a monster game. He set new career-highs by scoring 31 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. He also had 16 fourth quarter points which propelled the Mavericks to victory.

It was an incredible performance from the 7’4 big man, but did it earn him more playing time?

Marjanovic has only played in 37 of the team’s 67 games so far this season. He is averaging just 9.1 minutes per. Boban has been used as a situational big man off the bench. A change of pace type player. His sheer size creates matchup problems.

Coach Rick Carlisle is unlikely to deviate from that. Marjanovic likely earned a bit more trust, though. There will be no hesitation in putting him in the game to try to create a mismatch. It will not happen every night because Bobi needs the right matchup to thrive.

He could be a difference-maker in the playoffs. If the Mavericks and Nuggets face off expect Marjanovic to get minutes. He has performed well against Nikola Jokic for years. Dallas will attempt to exploit that matchup if the showdown occurs.

The Smoking Cuban will continue to provide fans opinions and analysis on the Dallas Mavericks during the suspension, so keep it locked right here.