Interview: Utkuhan Genç, TrendBasket
On Saturday, Indiana Pacers hosted Detroit Pistons and pulled out a 21-point win. Prior to the game in which TrendBasket was present, Pistons’ Serbian big man Boban Marjanović answered our questions.
First of all, how is the season for you so far?
I know I don’t play too much. But I’m trying to help my teammates, be in a great mood, bring positive energy to the practices.
So, you like playing for Detroit…
So far so good.
Last year, you were playing for the San Antonio Spurs. How was your experience with Gregg Popovich, one of the greatest coaches of all time, over there?
It was a great experience because it was my first season with the NBA and he helped me go into shape a lot and be more prepared to what I’m up against. I think I grew up there and became a better player. There are great coaches, great teammates, great people there and I’m lucky to be a part of that.
You had a great teammate like Tim Duncan and you got a chance to play alongside him. What are your thoughts about him?
Tim is an amazing person. I think everybody would want to coach him. He is a full package as a player. He was also a great coach to his teammates.
Do you have any chance to watch EuroLeague right now?
Yes. When I get the chance, I’m mostly watching Red Star. I know the scores, I know who plays good, who plays bad… I know everything.
Your former team Red Star Belgrade has so far defied the expectations. Recently, they played against Real Madrid and they were on a seven win streak. What do you think about their performance?
They play very, very good. I enjoy watching them. Their defense is just amazing and I think they have the best defense in EuroLeague. Coach Radonjić made this possible. He tries hard to use all the players. They’re all good players but some players can feel comfortable in a certain place and he put everybody in their comfortable places. They are playing good and giving %100.
Red Star is known for its intense fan base. How was the atmosphere over there?
It was great. I know how an opponent feels when they go there. It’s really amazing. I’ve played there and it gives you a different energy. You cannot win there. [Red Star] has six players on the court in their arena.
Last summer you could not play in Rio. Are you going to play in the EuroBasket 2017?
We had some misunderstandings but everything settled down now. I hope I will be there.