Boban Marjanovic is expected to stay with the Houston Rockets, according to league sources. The 7’3″ Serbian could still make the roster.
Alperen Sengun has the highest probability of earning the starting center role for the Rockets.
In the 2021-22 season, through 72 appearances, Sengun averaged 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
The Turkish center was selected 16th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2021 NBA Draft. However, his draft rights were then traded to the Rockets.
Willie Cauley-Stein and Bruno Fernando will compete for reserve minutes as well. Training camp will be the best indicator for each of these said players.
Per Basketball-Reference, Marjanovic’s salary for the 2022-23 season is $3.5 million.
The Rockets are expected to retain Boban Marjanovic
Last season, in 23 games started with the Dallas Mavericks, Marjanovic averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Plus, he averaged 60% shooting from the field.
During this offseason, the Mavericks traded Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and Wendell Moore Jr. to the Rockets for Christian Wood.
Over a week ago, Cauley-Stein signed a one-year deal with Houston. Based on his latest statistics, Cauley-Stein will serve as a decent backup to Sengun.
It’s unknown how long the Kentucky product will remain with the Rockets, though. In February, the center signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Of course, he was then waived on March 3.
As for Fernando, the third-year center appeared in only 30 games last season. In 20 games played with the Boston Celtics, the former Maryland star averaged just one point per game.
Then, in 10 games played with the Rockets, Fernando averaged 9.4 minutes, 6.9 points and 4 rebounds per game. And he averaged 70.7% shooting from the field. So, Marjanovic could very well remain with Houston next season.
Furthermore, Marjanovic played his first NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs. In the 2015-16 season, through 54 appearances and four starts, the undrafted center averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
On July 23, 2019, the center signed a deal with the Mavericks. During the 2019-20 season, Marjanovic averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 44 games played.
In the Mavericks’ 113-97 win over the Denver Nuggets on March 11, 2020, the center scored a career-high 31 points. Along with shooting 12-for-20 (60%) from the floor, he also finished his performance with 17 rebounds.
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