With the Celtics needing to bolster their frontcourt, Detroit Pistons center Boban Marjanovic could be an excellent fit.
Following the Boston Celtics‘ colossal second half meltdown to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in which they squandered a 16-point third quarter advantage, the frontcourt received the majority of the blame. Seemingly not a soul was capable of boxing out center Jonas Valanciunas, who emerged for 23 rebounds, 11 of which came on the offensive end.
The terrifying nature of Valanciunas’ explosion on the boards is the fact that, despite his colossal size, the seven-foot, 265-pound former All-Rookie selection averages just 9.8 rebounds per game which barely qualifies him for a top 15 rank in the league in that category. It was not as if NBA rebounding leader Hassan Whiteside was the one emasculating the Celtics on the boards, displaying Boston’s true futility in that regard. Overall, the Celtics were outrebounded 50-33 by Toronto on the night, with the Raptors garnering 17 offensive rebounds compared with Boston’s measly six.
The Celtics do not have a single player ranking in the league’s top 40 in rebounds per game. Although he has recorded nine rebounds in each of the last two games, center Al Horford‘s rebounds per 48 minutes of 10.0 places him in 94th place in the NBA. Center Amir Johnson has grabbed just 10.5 rebounds per 48 minutes, 85th-best in the league. Scarily, he is the highest ranking Boston player in that category among those qualified. When your team’s leading rebounder per 48 minutes boasts a total rebounding percentage of 12.2 percent, red flags are immediately raised. Additionally, center Kelly Olynyk, whom head coach Brad Stevens relies on to grab rebounds when the team opts for a smaller lineup, ranks outside of the top 100 in the league in rebounds per 48 minutes (9.6).
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Thus, a remedy for the Celtics rebounding woes is a necessity if the team wishes to escape past the first round of the postseason. This medicine could come in the form of Detroit Pistons’ Boban Marjanovic. While the 7’3″, 290-pounder would not be a franchise-altering starting option in the Boston frontcourt, he would provide the team with valuable rebounding and rim protection at a small price. After averaging nearly 10 minutes per outing with the Spurs a season ago, Marjanovic has witnessed his minutes reduced to 6.8 per just 16 appearances while playing behind Andre Drummond and former Spurs teammate Aron Baynes in Detroit. However, per 36 minutes Marjanovic is posting impressive numbers of 19.3 points and 16.3 rebonds per game. Per 100 possessions, these figures rise to 27.5 points and 23.2 rebounds per game to accompany 3.8 blocks.
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Comparatively, Horford is averaging just 23.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per 100 possessions while Johnson averages just 11.0 rebounds per 100 possessions. Additionally, Marjanovic’s defensive rebounding rate hovers around an eye-popping 31.7 percent while his total rebounding rate of 25.3 percent is substantial considering that Whiteside’s total rebounding percentage is 23.0 percent. Defensively, Marjanovic has proven himself to be a menace as well, blocking 6.1 percent of his opponent’s two-point attempts while on the floor to accompany his stellar defensive rating of 100. This defensive rating would be the best among Boston power forwards and centers if Marjanovic were to be acquired.
While you must consider the fact that all of these numbers have been accumulated in the minuscule sample size of 108 total minutes on a Pistons team currently sitting just 0.5 games above the embattled Knicks for 10th place in the Eastern Conference, Marjanovic could be acquired at an attractive price. The 28-year-old is due just $7 million in each of the seasons through 2018-19, making him a piece that the Celtics could mold into a rotational player at a potential bargain.
If Marjanovic can develop a threatening back-to-the-basket presence while finding a midrange jump shot, his deal could end up being a team-friendly one by the time it expires. Marjanovic has already cemented his reputation as someone who can affect a game in limited minutes, piping in 15 points and 19 rebounds in 23 minutes against the Hornets on January fifth. The rebounding total was the most by a Detroit reserve since 1999. Even more encouraging was the fact that Marjanovic shot 9-11 from the free-throw stripe in the contest, consistent with his impressive 75 percent mark from the charity line this season. This signifies that he has the potential to morph into a big man capable of hurting opponents with a 15-foot shot.
To relinquish Marjanovic, Detroit would most likely require the Celtics to part ways with center Tyler Zeller, who is posting just 8.7 rebounds per 36 minutes and has not seen action since December 29th, and a future second-round pick. With Marjanovic’s capability to assist Boston in their rebounding woes, he could coax general manager Danny Ainge into making a deal.
