Sacramento Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic Is Primed For A Breakout Year

With Bogdan Bogdanovic playing his natural position next season, he is primed for a banner year with the Sacramento Kings.

A new season with a new cast of guys on the bench plays a part in why Bogdan Bogdanovic will have his best season yet as a Sacramento King. To help accommodate the teams’ personnel needs, Bogdanovic played a lot of small forward last season which was out of his natural position.

On a nightly basis, Bogdan had to overcome opponents who were physically bigger and stronger which deteriorated his play on both sides. When looking at his numbers, Bogdan’s shooting percentages went down which decreased his efficiency on the court, despite being the team’s best scorer off the bench. But with the Kings bolstering up their bench this summer, it should help Bogdan increase both his numbers and efficiency on the court.

The Reason Why Bogdan Will Step Up?

Last season, Bogdan often had to create his points when playing with the second unit. This knowledge will pay off this upcoming year. Going back to his guard slot will put him back on his upward trajectory.

Sacramento’s fast pace of taking shots from beyond the arc plays into Bogdan’s strengths that will allow him and the team to flourish together. Sacramento has put a high value to recruit players that can shoot the three-point shot at any position, and for the most part, they got guys that fit the bill.

This season will not be about Bogdan sacrificing his play for the betterment of the team, but rather it will be about him proving himself in a system that will help him thrive.

Did Bogdan’s Knee Play Into Last Year?

There were not any major issues or injuries reported by the Kings in terms of Bogdan’s health. He did experience knee injuries last summer with the Serbian national team, but other than that, nothing else.

That said, it was easy to see that the Kings’ guard took a big toll on his body last season. He just did not play like the guy I have witnessed before. The way he ran the floor, along with his smooth jump shot, was absent. What was natural before now looked awkward on the court.

Something was not right. Bogdan was not the same player, whether it was his health or him playing out of position. After the Kings acquired Harrison Barnes towards the end of the year was when Bogdan regained his strength and returned to his rookie-year self.

Hopefully, it was the Kings finally acquiring a true small forward that made Bogdan effective again.

The Prognosis For This Year’s Kings

This is the most exciting roster the Kings have assembled since Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic were still wearing a Kings jersey.  Let us dive into the fact that the stacked Western Conference just got even stronger this year. It is an elite group that I have never seen before.

That makes getting in the postseason a tough road. On the bright side, there are not eight super teams in the West. The Kings still have a chance to grab the eighth seed if their youth continues to get better.

If Bogdan is able to make the leap of improvement that I assume he will make, then it makes the Kings a playoff contender no doubt, in my mind.