Bojan Bogdanovic currently enjoys the status of an NBA veteran with a lucrative contract. However, now more than ever, the question arises: Is it perhaps time for a return to Europe, because once a career ends, nobody remembers statistics but only titles.
Following Bojan Bogdanovic from the very beginning of his career at Cibona, I must say I am surprised by the level to which he has perfected his game and established himself as one of the ‘softest shooters’ in the NBA. Bojan Bogdanovic has always been an offensively oriented player who practically improved his game and grew from season to season. Today, he is a man who averages 20 points per game with a shooting percentage of 40% from three-point range in the best league in the world.
When you gain such a reputation, you find yourself in a comfortable situation where clubs will ‘fight’ for you. If we add Bogdanovic’s experience and years spent in the NBA to that, we get an invaluable veteran for a team that every potential champion immensely values. The situation is very clear – shooters are in demand, and ‘Babo‘ is one of the deadliest in the entire league.
Bojan Bogdanovic’s style of play is ideal for today’s NBA
Already, Bojan Bogdanovic ranks among the elite of the 50 players with the most three-pointers made in the history of the NBA and if we put that into the context of Europeans, Bojan is in a very high fourth place, just behind Dirk Nowitzki, Predrag Stojakovic and Nicolas Batum. He is the only one in that group of European players who has played less than 10 seasons and considering his style of play he could remain relevant for at least another five seasons.
Movement without the ball, coming off screens, catch and shoot. These are all main weapons of the former Croatian national team player and the favorable circumstance is that he plays in the pace and space era where the main emphasis is on shooting, while defenses are in the background. The league has slightly changed the rules to make the game easier for attackers and that’s precisely where Bogdanovic excels. He can still play excellently with his back to the basket, where perimeter players often have no answer to his strong body and very good footwork, as well as his fade-away shots.
How is it that a system player like Bojan Bogdanovic can’t get minutes with the New York Knicks?
His offensive repertoire is perfect for today’s NBA, and the lack of athleticism and weaker lateral movement can be compensated for by deploying Bogdanovic against weaker offensive players on the opposing team. However, the question arises as to how Bojan Bogdanovic, a player who easily fits into a system, can’t get enough minutes with the New York Knicks, who desperately need a player with such shooting abilities?
The answer is very logical and simple – Tom Thibodeau. As an old-school coach, regardless of new trends, he still prefers to ride his starters hard, with an emphasis on isolation possessions where there aren’t too many actions for players of Bogdanovic’s profile. Thibodeau leans towards isolation attacks, which doesn’t suit players like Bogdanovic whose style of play is more oriented towards movement off the ball and catch-and-shoot situations. This differs from the situation with the Utah Jazz under the leadership of Quin Snyder, where Bogdanovic had more opportunities in an offensive system that suited him.
The European with the most three-pointers in a single game
In a system with a classic playmaker like Mike Conley and a center like Rudy Gobert, alongside Donovan Mitchell as the primary scorer and Jordan Clarkson providing points off the bench, Bogdanovic was the ideal wing player and secondary scorer. In such a movement-offense system, many plays were directed towards Bogdanovic. There were nights when the Jazz rode on the back of Bogdanovic’s shooting clinic, while other nights he played a smaller role in the offense. He is a system player, adapted to the team’s needs.
During that period, Bojan Bogdanovic had seasons with over 20 points on average twice, as well as twice shooting over 40% from three-point range. He set the record for the most three-pointers in a single game by a European with 11 threes (against OKC, scoring 35 points), as well as his and Drazen Petrovic’s record for the most points in an NBA game with 48 points against the Denver Nuggets (the previous record for Croatian player was 44). The golden period of his career with the Utah Jazz was not crowned with great success in the playoffs, although in three seasons under Quin Snyder’s leadership his team finished sixth, fifth, and first in an extremely tough Western Conference.
On paper the fit is simply perfect
The title seemed within reach for that perfectly assembled team. Team play with brilliantly distributed roles would have been the crown jewel of Bogdanovic’s career in the event of winning the championship. It didn’t happen.
At the time of signing with the New York Knicks they were in third place in the East with legitimate arguments to be considered one of the title contenders. Bogdanovic was at that time in his second consecutive season with the Detroit Pistons where he was scoring 20+ points with a 40% three-point shooting. Anyone who even remotely follows the NBA would consider this as the ‘steal of the year’ for the Knicks.
On paper the fit is simply perfect. At that time, with OG Anunoby and Julius Randle as wing options on the injured list, Jalen Brunson struggling with injuries as the first offensive option, it seemed highly likely that Bojan Bogdanovic would immediately step into the starting minutes where he would have every opportunity to get acquainted with Thibodeau’s system.
It would be the perfect story to cap off a brilliant NBA career with a title win
Where does that leave us? The New York Knicks are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference. Bogdanovic has left the Detroit Pistons, the worst team in the league, and now has a legitimate chance to contend for a title with Tom Thibodeau’s team. In the role of an experienced bench player, it would be the perfect story to cap off a brilliant NBA career with a title win. However, there is one small problem – Bojan Bogdanovic is still capable of averaging 20 points per game. Therefore, the question arises, where will his career be if he doesn’t win an NBA title?
As things stand now, Bogdanovic has bid farewell to the national team, but coach Josip Sesar will try to persuade him to join the “last dance” this summer. A medal with the national team remains his greatest career desire and Bogdanovic has proven time and time again how much he lives for it. Unfortunately, it hasn’t happened yet, or as Krunoslav Simon said in one of his interviews:
“We never had a team for a medal, there were always a few national teams that were above us in quality.”
The shot by Dusan Kecman is a perfect description of Bogdanovic’s career – almost
As for his club career, Bogdanovic has a Kresimir Cosic Cup and a Croatian championship in his trophy cabinet, but that’s it. Perhaps everything would have been different if Dusan Kecman hadn’t hit ‘that shot’ from his own half-court after Bogdanovic’s three-pointer for Partizan in the ABA League final in front of a packed Zagreb Arena. That shot is a perfect representation of Bogdanovic’s career – almost.
Although the New York Knicks are high in the Eastern Conference, and they still have Julius Randle to return, it’s hard to see that team advancing in a best-of-seven series against any of the trio of the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who knocked them out in the playoffs last season, could also be an insurmountable obstacle. But even in the case, let’s say, of a sensational advancement to the NBA Finals, it will be hard to get past teams like the Denver Nuggets.
Samo PET igrača u povijesti košarke bilježilo je 18+ poena u prosjeku u Euroligi, NBA te na FIBA natjecanju 🎯
— Bruno Feliks (@BrunoFeliks44) March 25, 2024
1. Dražen Petrović (37.0 / 24.3 / 30.0)
2. Toni Kukoč (21.0 / 19.7 / 19.0)
3. Pau Gasol (18.5 / 21.3 / 25.6)
4. Peja Stojaković (20.9 / 24.2 / 23.0)
5. Bojan Bogdanović…