One of the more intriguing signings of the summer has been 7'3" center Boban Marjanovic signing with the San Antonio Spurs. Marjanovic had a breakout season with KK Crvena zvezda last season, averaging 16.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in Euroleague play. Due to his freakish size and breakout season, it is no surprise that an NBA team picked him up. As a matter of fact, as I was following the Euroleague last season and checking the box scores, I kept asking myself about Marjanovic "How is this guy not in the NBA?" My instincts were right and Marjanovic did indeed find a home in the NBA.
But while he is a great pickup for the Spurs and sure to add much needed depth in the front court, he is also a huge loss for KK Crvena zvezda. KK Crvena zvezda had one of their most competitive seasons in recent memory last year, winning both the Adriatic League (ABA League) and KLS (Basketball League of Serbia) titles while also qualifying for the Euroleague Top 16. After a solid 6-4 record in the Euroleague regular season to get the Top 16, KK Crvena zvezda struggled in the Top 16 with a 4-10 record, failing to reach the Euroleague playoffs, which features the final eight teams in the league.
A big reason why KK Crvena zvezda had the success that they did was because of Boban Marjanovic's presence on the floor. During Euroleague play, KK Crvena zvezda heavily relied on Boban Marjanovic to deliver the goods, while in the ABA League and KLS, which are less competitive leagues, they had more of a "win by committee" approach. But even in those leagues, they still relied on Boban Marjanovic to lead them to the championship. He took home the Finals MVP award in the ABA League and the MVP award of the Super League in the KLS.
The bottom line is that as the competition got tougher, KK Crvena zvezda relied more and more on Boban Marjanovic to step up. With him now gone and playing in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, it's hard to see the team coming close to replicating the same success they did last season. What also hurts is that they have lost guard Charles Jenkins to Olimpia Milano and also appear likely to lose guard Marcus Williams as well, who currently is a free agent facing a suspension for a positive marijuana test.
At the moment, KK Crvena zvezda is looking at Branko Lazic and Jaka Blazic to lead the way in the backcourt with Luka Mitrovic, Maik Zirbes, and Nikola Kalinic to lead the way in the front court. Out of all of those players, Mitrovic is the player who needs to step up the most and has the most potential to do so. He is only 22 years old and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 60th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and was later traded to the Sacramento Kings. If he wants to prove he was worthy of getting drafted into the NBA, he will certainly get his chance. The other three players I mentioned are the best remaining players on the roster from last season, but I highly doubt any one of them takes a huge jump in the 2015-16 season.
This team really should become the Luka Mitrovic show, but the question is can he have a breakout season and make up for Boban Marjanovic's absence. In Euroleague play Mitrovic averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season, while in the ABA League, he averaged 10.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Those are solid numbers and with Marjanovic gone, his numbers are certain to improve.
But even if Luka Mitrovic is able to take a huge jump next season and average around 13 points and 9 rebounds per game in Euroleague play, I don't see there being enough support around him for KK Crvena zvezda to have as good of a season as they did last year. The bottom line is that KK Crvena zvezda probably doesn't defend their titles in either the ABA League or the KLS. In addition, I highly doubt they qualify for the Top 16 in the Euroleague. The presence of Luka Mitrovic should give them some hope, but not enough for them to expect a season with the same level of success.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news and Euroleague news
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