The Sacramento Kings had a rough ending to 2017, losing to a Grizzles team without Mike Conley, but 2018 should be a year where many of their question marks are answered.
This team doesn’t have an All-Star this year but they do have many solid role players who can perform at a high level on different nights.
I want to focus on Bogdan Bogdanovic who is averaging 10.3 points and 2.6 assists for the season, but 12.2 points and 4.0 assists the past five games. Dave Joerger is giving him more run at the backup point guard position and it’s paying off.
Bogdanovic loves having the ball in his hands and so do the rest of his teammates. He is unselfish and sees the floor so well.
On this play, he and Willie Cauley-Stein hook up for a beautiful alley-oop that was predicated on his special vision, where the Bulls defense thought he would pass the ball to George Hill, but he knew where Cauley-Stein was at the entire time. Patience and vision are some of the many talents the rookie possesses.
Again, right here against the Bucks, he easily drives to the rim and when he pulls Cauley-Stein’s defender, and Bogdanovic’s defender recovers, he doesn’t lose focus and delivers the pass with precision. That’s what great playmakers do and he certainly has shown to be one at the NBA level.
To put things in perspective, Bogdanovic ranks No.3 in the NBA in isolations including passes, according to Synergy Sports. In 21 possessions, he has contributed to 31 points.
What does this mean? It validates his effectiveness when he does have the ball in his hands because as he has stated in previous interviews, he makes the right plays and this very specific stat proves it.
He has also been excellent in transition, according to Synergy Sports. In 38 possessions, he has scored 53 points. Having such a good playmaker only gives Joerger more options when De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason return from their injuries. It also makes Hill expendable as the NBA Trade Deadline approaches.
Bogdanovic is the highest-paid rookie in the NBA and his recent performances are definitely making Vlade Divac look very good. With more games under his belt, expect Bogdanovic to average more points and assists for the season.
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