Bojan Bogdanovic hasn't shot the lights out in his two games vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Sacramento. He's shot 6-of-15 overall, 2-of-7 from deep. He has yet to go to the line. He's averaging seven points per game. Still, he has played well and played a lot. He is second in minutes behind Deron Williams, 56 to 54, in the first two preseason games, having started both games.
He would seem to be the likely starter when the season opens, although his main competition for the job, Alan Anderson, has been held out with a sore abdominal muscle. It appears that Lionel Hollins would like to use Andrei Kirilenko as a fill-in at both forward sports, rather than as a starter.
One advantage, other than his ability to hit open shots with regularity, is his BBIQ. Everyone has remarked on that.
"HIgh IQ, really has a feel for the game and can really flat out shoot it," says Joe Johnson, who knows something about all three of those things. "I think he's really gonna help the team."
He's also played better than expected defense, doing a nice job against another sharpshooter, Nik Stauskas, on the Kings Sunday morning.
Does it add up to a starting role in Boston on October 29? Tim Bontemps, among others, thinks so, writing...
With Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez out there with him, Bogdanovic is going to find himself with plenty of wide-open looks from behind the arc, and particularly in the corners, where he spent most of Tuesday’s win over Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Zach Lowe of Grantland thinks he could be a big surprise as a rookie.
Stealth first-team All-Rookie candidate. RT @NetsDaily: Increasingly looks like @44Bojan will get starting nod for #Nets.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) October 13, 2014Should he start, the 6'8" shooting guard will be among a handful of rookes in a starting role. Flip Sanders isn't even sure top pick Andrew Wiggins will start with the Timberwolves. And fewer still are likely to start for a contender. Looks like he was worth waiting for.
- What the Nets showed in the middle of the night in China - Tim Bontemps - New York Post