As the oldest member of the youth-focused Houston Rockets, 7-3 center Boban Marjanovic won't see the court too much this season. But that doesn't mean he won't play an important role on the team.
Every young team needs some veterans to show the rookies the ropes, and it appears Marjanovic is taking one rookie in particular under his wing.
The Rockets tweeted out a video of an interaction between Marjanovic and Tari Eason, the 17th overall pick in this summer's draft.
"This is my guard right here, best friend," Eason said as he was dapping up Marjanovic.
And Eason might be looking at more than just be Marjanovic's best friend, but replace his old one.
"No more Tobias [Harris]," Eason said as Marjanovic laughed. "Just me and you now."
Earlier in his career while with the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers, Marjanovic had a similar relationship with Tobias Harris ... and social media dubbed them "Bobi and Tobi."
"Bobi and Tari" doesn't exactly have the same ring, but the interaction shows why the Rockets are opting to keep Marjanovic on the roster rather than swap him out for a younger player with more potential. Marjanovic has shown a pattern of building strong chemistry in multiple places and has been praised in the past for being a good teammate.
In a 2020 article from The Athletic, Pistons teammate Anthony Tolliver called Marjanovic "the nicest human" he's ever met.
"He’s a special, caring, loving, upbeat guy," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "And he’s a better player than everyone thinks. But you couldn’t ask for a better professional, a better teammate, for sure."
Marjanovic and the Rockets kick off training camp later this month to prepare for the regular season, which begins Oct. 19 against the Atlanta Hawks.
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