Utah Jazz: One thing each starter needs to improve in 2019-20

Bojan Bogdanovic – Free Throw Percentage

I waffled back and forth on which of two aspects of Bojan Bogdanovic’s game to cover here. Although I have staunchly defended Bojan as an underrated defender, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement there. After all, while he’s better at it than he gets credit for, he had a bit of a down year defensively in 2018-19 compared to how staunch he was in 2017-18. And not only that, but in the Jazz development program, players tend to improve dramatically on the defensive end. Just ask Joe Ingles.

However, considering that just one season prior, Bogdanovic was second on the Indiana Pacers in defensive rating only to Victor Oladipo who finished on the All-NBA Defensive Team, I decided that while defense needs to be an important area of emphasis for Bogey, there was actually a different issue I wanted to highlight. That particular area just so happens to be one that yet again some may find surprising – free throw shooting.

Now, we all know that Bojan is an impeccable shooter. After all, he finished last season just a tick under 50 percent from the field while going an impressive 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. Obviously, his shooting stroke is nearly unmatched and will be a deadly weapon for the Jazz.

However, strange though it may be, last season he didn’t exactly have the best year from the free throw line, as he went just 80.7 percent, the worst mark of his career. This is even more concerning due to the fact that, contrary to what many might assume, Bogdanovic actually does a great job of getting to the line. His free throw attempts from last season of 3.8 per game would have put him at third most on the Jazz, trailing only Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

In other words, Bogey does a great job at getting to the line which will be another important strength he’ll bring to the Jazz. But, if he’s going to get there, he needs to knock them down!

Now let’s be clear, 80.7 percent isn’t that shabby at all and certainly nothing to balk at. However, when considering that his career mark is 84.6 and that his percentage from last season would have put him just fifth on the Jazz team (among players who appeared in at least 20 games), there’s no denying that he needs some work in that area and that his percentage needs to increase.

Fortunately, Bogdanovic is just a year removed from shooting 86.8 percent from the charity stripe and only two years removed from going an amazing 89.3, either one of which would have made him the Jazz’s best free throw shooter last season. I suspect that a big reason for his drop in percentage was the fact that he took over the primary scoring load for the Pacers following Oladipo’s injury and that fatigue and heightened responsibility both played a factor.

The good news for him in Utah’s offense is that, while he’ll most certainly play a crucial role, he won’t be asked to be scoring option number one. Instead, he’ll have the luxury of leaning on Conley and Mitchell to shoulder that primary load, while he’ll be able to simply put the ball through the hoop at will.

Ideally, that prolific shooting stroke will bleed over into his free throw shooting and we’ll see a revert to his norm in that area next season. Bogdanovic is great at getting to the line, so the Jazz need to see him be absolutely reliable once he gets there. Considering the perfectly suitable role he’ll play with the Jazz and his track record from previous seasons, I’d say that I very much like his odds.