8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

The Indiana Pacers must bring Bojan Bogdanovic back at all costs

By Jesse Smith

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Indiana Pacers reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 5, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Indiana Pacers reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 5, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Bojan Bogdanovic experience is one the Indiana Pacers should look to keep going into in the future.

The Indiana Pacers are Bojan Bogdanovic‘s team. As time was starting to dwindle Thursday night, Bojan took matters into his own hands en route to a Pacers-career high 37-point performance.

Yes, the close game was against an under-.500 team, but for a Pacers team that is still having identity issues after losing its star, they’ll take what they can get.

Bogey, as he is affectionately known as, continues to develop and adapt his game.  It’s easy to forget when he was signed to a two-year contract before last season that Bogey was seen as a placeholder player by most.  If we’re being honest here, that’s exactly how I saw it too.

We all know the story from there, surprise season, toe-to-toe with LeBron, and high expectations.

Things never go according to plan as we know and this year has been a mixed bag of weird. After Victor Oladipo went down, just about everyone counted (and continues to count) the Pacers out of any serious East contention.  Yet here they are, still third place in the Eastern Conference.  Bogdanovic has stepped up multiple times in the clutch in that span.

His game has transformed from a spot-up shooter to a multi-dimensional, vital piece to this misfit puzzle.  Bojan has found a way to create for himself as well as others (his assist totals have been steadily climbing each month).

He responded well to the higher volume role he was taking on (averaged 15 attempts per game in Feb) and turned in one of his best scoring months as a professional at nearly 22 per game.

Most Pacers fans are aware that Bogdanovic is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, meaning he can sign with anyone.

To be fair, I don’t believe there is anyone on the market that will fit quite as well as he has for this team.  He knows his role and he executes it to near perfection.  We’ve seen him become more vocal this season and is improving as a player overall.

dark. Next. The Spirit of Jeff Foster lives in Kyle O'Quinn

The Pacers need to do the right thing, bring back Bojan Bogdanovic for whatever it takes.

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