Nets One Bright Spot: Bojan Bogdanovic
It has been yet another slow start to the season for the Nets in what seems to be a growing trend for the team since entering Brooklyn. In 2012 the Nets started 14–14. Last season they were 10–21.
Now this year Brooklyn is 4-7. Just about every player has struggled and the future of the team is looking very bleak. But with all of the negative surrounding the Nets there is one very bright spot so far: Bojan Bogdanovic.
Bojan struggled through preseason and the first few games of the regular season, but Hollins continued to start him despite calls for the rookie to be benched. Bogdanovic has since shown why Hollins had so much confidence in him. Despite his slow start Bojan is averaging 11.3 points on 47% shooting, good for second best in the league behind only Jabari Parker.
Bojan has filled his role perfectly in the Nets Starting lineup as a spot up shooter and has shown very good basketball IQ. He knows where to be on the floor and when to make cuts to the basket. The one knock on Bojan in Europe was his defense, but he has been above average so far and making positive strides every game.
In NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder, Scott Howard-Cooper ranks Bojan third behind Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins. Here’s what Howard-Cooper had to say about the Nets rookie:
Bogdanovic is shooting 54.3 percent in his last five games, even with the zero for five Saturday at Portland, putting him at 47.6 percent overall while getting 30.5 minutes for a team with playoff aspirations. That leads all rookies in playing time. Bogdanovic has quickly gone from No. 7 in the opening Ladder to a legit threat for Rookie of the Year if he maintains that kind of role, and production, with Brooklyn.
The Nets have a real rookie of the year candidate in Bojan Bogdanović. He may not win it because Jabari Parker is an excellent player and arguably the #1 option on the Milwaukee Bucks. It will be a close battle though between the two, a battle that Net fans should keep an eye on the rest of the year. It may be the only thing we have to look forward to if the Nets can’t shake off the rough start like they have the last two seasons.