Mavericks Bench Duo: Unsung Heroes

A couple of Dallas bench players has a definite impact despite little time on the floor.

Every contender in the NBA has its superstar(s). Players who can put their team on their back and carry them. For the Dallas Mavericks, that's Luka Doncic.

However, the Mavs got an unexpected lift from a few members of their bench this past season who hardly played. These were players that normally would never fill up the box score or hit a big shot in crunch time. Their impact, undeniably, helped boost the Mavs all the way to the Western Conference finals.

In the reason acquisition of Christian Wood, the Mavericks parted with four players in Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, Sterling Brown and Boban Marjanovic. Mavs nation was very saddened to hear about Marjanovic leaving, as he become a fan favorite for his silly antics and undeniable support for his teammates.

Boban on his time in Dallas:

“It's not the first time that i got traded, but this one was the toughest for me. Whole city, they accepted me there like i was in my hometown Boljevac. That's how I felt, when I go to Dallas, it's like I'm in Boljevac.”

(via @Mavs_FFL) pic.twitter.com/VdbJDFZwHW

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 25, 2022

Marjanovic in a recent interview explained how he felt like Dallas was very welcoming, and reminded him of his hometown of Boljevac, Serbia. Whenever Boban would take the floor, the roar of the American Airlines Center crowd was unmistakable.

Another guy with an undeniable impact on his team and his teammates is Theo Pinson. His infectious positivity helped give the Mavs a morale boost during their run.

Pinson, a 6-5 guard, only averaged 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Still, every time the Mavericks would hit a big shot or get a defensive stop in a crucial time, the first person up off the bench cheering would be Pinson. He was often seen dancing on the sidelines and would also be the first to greet the team coming off the floor, often trying to hype them up. 

Pinson and Boban may not fill up the stat sheet, but they fill up their teammates with positivity and morale-boosting confidence. They don't average 20 points, but their contributions are undeniable.