The Sacramento Kings traded for rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic in the 2016 NBA Draft and Kings fans have been waiting anxiously for him ever since. Although anything isn’t confirmed yet, most people believe he will make the move over into the greatest basketball league in the world this summer. Assuming he does, what would he bring to the Sacramento Kings?
Background:
The Phoenix Suns selected Bogdanovic 27th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft as a draft-and-stash player to develop over in Europe. While doing so, they saved themselves a roster spot and cap space. Over the two years they owned rights to him, Bogdan was one of the best players in the Turkish Airlines League.
With the Phoenix Suns not trusting that he would make the jump to the NBA and the fact that they were desperately trying to move up in the 2016 draft to select Marquese Chriss, they included Bogdan in the package deal to entice the Kings into accepting the trade, which they did.
2016-17 Per Game Statistics:
Minutes Played: 28.0
Points: 14.6
Assists: 3.6
Rebounds: 3.8
FG Attempts / FG Made : 9.8-4.9 (.500)
3P Attempts / 3P Made : 4.9-2.1 (.430)
FT Attempts / FT Made : 3.1-2.7 (.855)
(via. Basketball Reference)
What He Realistically Brings Sacramento:
Bogdan Bogdanovic brings the Kings a great scorer with a winning mentality. He led his team, Fenerbahçe, to the Euroleague championship. He could be a good starter for the Kings realistically, but maybe he can blossom into an All-Star.
Fox, Jackson, Giles — big haul for the Kings. And they may bring Bogdan Bogdanovic over. “He’s the best shooter in Europe,” one exec said
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) June 23, 2017
Bogdanovic has a lethal jump shot, extending his range to what seems to be limitless. He’s not afraid to take shots at a high clip which is perfect for Sacramento as one of their major holes is lacking an offensive creator.
The closest thing they have to that mold is Buddy Hield. Buddy seems to have the potential of becoming a really good scorer on his own, but the Kings can’t stand around waiting for him to run off screens to catch and shoot for now. The offense would become stagnant and would need another offensive weapon. Insert, Bogdan Bogdanovic, he could give you a creator who helps the Kings which we’re hoping would be immediate.
Bogdanovic also has potential on the defensive end due to his 6’11” wingspan. Bogdan isn’t too polished on that end yet, but he plays the passing lanes well and could be a one-man fast break. He needs to become more agile to be able to really play defense in the NBA. If he gains agility, combined with his insane God-given wingspan, he can become a great perimeter defender. If the Kings can get the ultimate 3-and-D player in Bogdan, along with Skal and Papagiannis, this trade would’ve been one of the greatest fleeces in NBA history.
Final Thoughts:
The entire sports media was bashing the Kings for the trade they made in the 2016 NBA Draft. It’s starting to seem the Kings got the better end of the deal. In my opinion, the Kings really need Bogdan and should do everything in their power to recruit him. Bogdan could be a major part of this young core they’ve built. It won’t be the end of the world if they can’t land him, but if they do land him, he can become an immediate help and could be great.