Boban “Marj of Progress” Marjanovic needed only around 10 minutes of playing time to acquire his 13 points and 9 assists. While other players are content to loaf around on the court and not really acquire many stats (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is still alive and I don’t think he’s scored a point in over three years), Marjanovic goes out there and takes what is rightfully his. Granted, he could loaf around and still put up numbers (sometimes rebounds and buckets just magically happen when you’re a giant), but he doesn’t. He hustles up the court every time. Not very fast, but with obvious effort.
And when you’ve got someone like Montrezl Harrell guarding Marjanovic, well, it’s going to get even better for him. Harrell is great, a total monster, but the NBA lists him at 6’7″. And that’s the NBA, who are known to inflate player heights. Without shoes, that brings him closer to 6’5″. Take off his hair, 6’4″. And if you remove his torso, he’s down to 5 feet even. How is a five-footer supposed to compete with Marjanovic? It’s just never going to end well, unless you’re viewing things from the perspective of a Mavericks fan, in which case things will end very well indeed.
I’ve alternated between virulently advocating for an increase in Marjanovic’s minutes, and giving up, recognizing the futility of the situation. Whatever my (or everyone on the internet’s) opinions are on the subject, coach Carlisle seems set in his ways. I mean, I guess he’s the guy who won a championship, but just because you won a championship a million years ago doesn’t mean you can ASSAULT an ALL-STAR QUALITY bigman with UNFAIR and PATHETIC minutes allocations! Oh man, I’m getting worked up again. Is this what people who earnestly believe in causes feel like?