Philadelphia 76ers center Boban Marjanovic will be sidelined at least five days after suffering a knee injury in a contest against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, the team released in a statement:
A medical update on Furkan Korkmaz and Boban Marjanovic: pic.twitter.com/W2vB76ZiYI
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 26, 2019
The 7’3 Serbian big man was acquired as a supporting asset from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Tobias Harris deal earlier this month. Now with his fourth team, the 30-year-old was in the midst of playing the biggest role of his brief NBA career for a playoff team.
With All-Star Joel Embiid sidelined due to knee tendinitis, Marjanovic stepped in and provided a solid presence at center in his two games as a starter. Even with Embiid healthy, Marjanovic played a key role for the contending Sixers, being an offensive spark plug off the bench while also bringing down rebounds with his massive 290-pound frame. In seven games as a member of the Sixers, Marjanovic – who has always been the epitome of efficiency – has put up averages of nine points and 6.3 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game.
Embiid is expected to return soon, but in the meantime, Philadelphia will be forced to rely on rookie big man Jonah Bolden and rarely used veteran Amir Johnson to fill the center role for the next couple games.
