Very quietly, Indiana Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic is producing his best-ever season.
Bojan Horseman, Vatra (fire in Croatian), The Croatian Sensation, or whatever you want to call him, Indiana Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic is putting together his finest season as an NBA player.
The Pacers signed Bogdanovic over the summer that began this new era of Pacers basketball. The 29-year-old has been a significant portion of the Pacers offense as their starting small forward. It seems like he disappears from time to time on the court, but after taking a look at box scores he has continuously been among the Pacers scoring leaders game after game.
What, if anything, has changed in his game that has given him success this season and given the Pacers a new level of consistency?
Let’s examine.
Efficiency
Currently, Bogdanovic is leading the NBA in three-point percentage at 53.5 percent, and second place isn’t particularly close. He has nearly a three percent lead over Joe Harris from Brooklyn, who’s shooting 50.6 percent. Couple that with Bogey’s 53.1 percent clip from inside the arc, and it’s no secret as to why he’s opened this season as the Pacers second leading scorer (15.1 per game) behind Victor Oladipo.
It’s unlikely that Bogdanovic will continue to shoot the three at this rate given his previous career high was last season at 40.2 percent. That being said, he finished October over 50 percent from deep and has built on that through the halfway point of November (55 percent from three this month). Bogey’s best full month last season was 47 percent, but perhaps he can beat that in the current 20-day period.
His true shooting percentage stands at 67.3 percent, which is nine percent higher than his career average. He’s hitting everything.
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Movement
As soon as the season started I noticed Bogdanovic cutting to the basket more and more with mixed results. As his confidence has developed with the slashing game, the Pacers have been going to it more and more.
He is currently scoring his two’s off an assist on 65 percent of his shots inside the arc. This number is much higher than last year where 53 percent of his two’s were off an assist. His teammates are recognizing his cutting aggressiveness and are finding him on the way to the rim.
Additionally, his three-point shots are assisted at an 89.5 percent rate, which is (while terrific) nearly five percent lower than last year’s rate. Bogdanovic is finding ways to create his own three-point shot off of screens and other actions, which is instrumental in the modern NBA; creating your own space from deep is an extremely valuable skill.
Take a look at his reel against the Jazz. He’s getting to the tin and creating space for his own threes. The game has changed, and Bogey’s game has adapted alongside.
Volume
Since the beginning of last season, the Pacers are 44-31 in games which Bojan Bogdanovic throws up four or more three-point attempts. This seems to be a trend on the rise as out of the Pacers 17 games this season, Bogey has attempted four or more threes in 12 of those games (including eight straight).
The Pacers are better when he is a part of the offensive gameplan. In the games that Oladipo didn’t play significant minutes due to injury, Bogdanovic has averaged 21.5 points, making two-thirds of his threes on 61.5 percent shooting overall. He’s handling the high volume excellently, and the Indiana Pacers have been better as a result.
Consistency
There have been several nights in a Pacers uniform where it looks like Babe Beretta could hit from Club Level. There have also been several nights that he doesn’t even look like an NBA player. Those gaps have seemed to vanish this season as he progresses his game into a multi-level scorer. This season he has only been held out of double figures on three occasions, the last being nine games ago against the Bulls on November 2nd. He is no longer on a feast or famine, life is a box of chocolates schedule. Rather, he is becoming a consistent offensive force for this Pacers team. That’s huge.
Bojan Bogdanovic has proven time and time again why he should be a starter on this team. His high-rate three-point shooting keeps defenders honest. His game has adjusted for the better and will continue to improve as he learns to make better decisions with the ball. Bogey is a vital part of this Indiana Pacers offense and we need to start giving him the attention he deserves.