Boban Marjanovic may play sparingly and at times sit out an entire game in the NBA, but there is a valid reason why he is in the most prestigious basketball league in the world.

The 7-foot-3 Marjanovic imposed his will with 25 points and 11 rebounds as he powered host Serbia to a narrow 83-76 win over Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

“You can see why he is on the NBA level,” said Philippines team captain Isaac Go after sharing the court with the Dallas Mavericks giant.

“At the same time, you can see how he leads his team, controls the defense. He can pass the ball, actually.”

With the Filipinos on the verge of a massive upset, the Serbians turned to Marjanovic to deliver the goods down the stretch.

Although sometimes double teamed by the likes of 6-foot-10 Angelo Kouame and 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto, Marjanovic still found ways to score as he churned out 8 points in their win-clinching 10-2 run.

In the play that practically secured the win for Serbia with 36 ticks left, Marjanovic backed down Kouame from the elbow and sank a silky smooth turnaround hook shot.

“He is really big and strong. But aside from that, you can see how he plays. He knows he is big, he knows how to get to his spots,” Go said.

“He knows how to use what he has to his advantage. He knew he was bigger than Kai, taller than Ange. Once he get to his spots, he scores.”

As Marjanovic put on a clinic, Go and his teammates have certainly picked up valuable lessons.

“It shows what the NBA caliber of play is and that is now like one of our standards to say, okay, we’ve seen what it takes to reach EuroLeague, Serbian MVP, to NBA,” Go said. – Rappler.com