As Boban Marjanovic walked into the Mavericks’ facility for the first time, the center took a long, deep inhale through his nose.

“Man, I am so excited to be here,” Marjanovic thought. “I feel good vibes.”

As Marjanovic recalled the moment during the team’s media day — commanding attention and laughter from reporters, team staffers and cameras as only a 7-4 movie star could — it wasn’t clear whether he actually took that loud sniff upon entering the facility.

But what is clear: Marjanovic (pronounced BO-bahn Mar-YAWN-oh-vich) will be a star for the Mavericks this season.

While the fifth-year NBA player who signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Mavericks in July likely won’t be a top statistical contributor like Kristaps Porzingis or Luka Doncic, he’ll be a leading personality for positivity, humor and what coach Rick Carlisle called “a breath of fresh air” off the court.

“He came in smiling and hugging everybody, and said ‘I land in Dallas, and it just feels like a great place. I love it here already.’” Carlisle said. “That’s a winner. Those kind of guys, you can’t get enough of those kinds of guys.”

Marjanovic’s enthusiasm has been obvious long before he arrived in Dallas in mid-September after helping the Serbian national team finish fifth in the FIBA World Cup.

At previous NBA stops with the Spurs, Pistons, Clippers and 76ers, Marjanovic, 31, emerged as a fan favorite despite being a career reserve.

He has built nickname-only recognition as “Bobi,” dressed up to match “Big Tex” at the State Fair of Texas and appeared in two movies, including John Wick 3. Carlisle had even watched some of Marjanovic’s YouTube videos with friend, former teammate and NBA veteran Tobias Harris before Marjanovic came to Dallas.

We're at the @StateFairOfTX where the iconic Big Tex offered a Texas-sized welcome to his little brother, Big Bobi.



More to come with @BobanMarjanovic 👀 pic.twitter.com/hfuPMCfLs5 — The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) September 29, 2019

Since joining the Mavericks, Marjanovic’s energy hasn’t changed.

He didn’t elect to rest after weeks of World Cup travel throughout China and instead challenged interns for one-on-one practice and joined pick-up games with his new teammates at first chance.

Last season, split between the Clippers and 76ers, Marjanovic played nearly 12 minutes a game in 58 appearances (12 starts), averaging 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds a game while shooting a career high 61.5% from the field.

He figures this season to be a frontcourt reserve behind Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber, but as the Mavericks look to manage Porzingis’ playing time in his return from injury and evaluate a lineup with few guaranteed starters, Marjanovic’s availability will be a strong asset.

In two preseason games, Marjanovic has 11 points, two assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes of action. He’s 1-for-2 on 3-point attempts.

“He’s a great guy to have sitting there ready to play,” Carlisle said. “He’s going to be ready. He’s a total professional. He’s got an amazing, positive personality that is amazing and infectious. And he can really play.”

At 7-4, Marjanovic pairs with 7-3 Porzingis as one of the tallest NBA tandems, and Carlisle hasn’t ignored the possibility that the duo could be on the court together at times this season.

“We played in pick-up games together on the same team,” Marjanovic said. “It looked so good, to be honest. To have two players the same height who can move like that? I don’t know what other teams would think for attacking.”

Aside from Marjanovic’s willingness and tenacity on the court, his authentic and comedic approach has shined from his start in Dallas, too.

Take, for example, his many one-liners:

On appearing in John Wick 3: “I get big applause,” he said. “It is good to hear.”

On retirement: “After I finish my basketball career, I join the movie stars.”

On the NBA requiring official player heights, and his 7-31/2 preseason measurement: “Just like a kid, growing up every single time.”

On Mavericks centers potentially shooting more 3s: “When I hear that news, I was like ‘Yeahhhhh.’ Maybe I’m the best shooter. You never know.”

Or look to his combination of charisma and drive during one practice early in the first week of training camp.

Mavericks coaches called for frontcourt players to do a conditioning drill: sprinting up and back on the court in nine seconds or less.

One then suggested to Marjanovic that because of his stature and speed, he could start from the free throw line, rather than the baseline.

Marjanovic responded to the offer by twice beating his fist against his chest and declaring in a deep voice that he’d start from the same spot as his teammates.

He made it in time, too.

“You can just already tell he loves life, loves being out here,” forward Justin Jackson said. “It’ll be a lot of fun this year with him.”