Utah Jazz fans shouldn’t panic about Bojan Bogdanovic’s slow start

It was a dismal preseason for the Utah Jazz, and no one performed worse than Bojan Bogdanovic. Still, there’s no need to panic about how he’s played thus far.

This summer, the imaginations of Utah Jazz fans went wild as the team went all in during one of the most successful offseasons in franchise history. The mere act of pulling off a blockbuster trade for Mike Conley would have been enough in and of itself to make Jazz fans giddy, but when they also landed a big-time free agent in Bojan Bogdanovic, that sent the excitement through the roof.

Unfortunately, fair or not, after a disappointing preseason stretch that saw the Jazz go winless against NBA competition, that excitement and expectation have waned a bit. Such couldn’t be truer regarding anyone more than Bojan Bogdanovic.

Sure, it’s just preseason, which means even the worst of issues shouldn’t be read too much into, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s been ugly for Bogey. In fact, in Wednesday’s latest loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, he looked oddly similar to the NBA players from Space Jam who had their talent taken away by aliens and were rendered completely incompetent.

No, but seriously, if you didn’t watch the game, Bogey looked nothing short of lost on both ends of the floor. He was out of sorts on offense and clearly lacked confidence in his shot. On defense, he was in the wrong spot on a handful of moments and was punished by the less than typically dangerous Zach Collins.

He went 0-of-9 from the field and 0-of-5 from the perimeter with a lone point coming when he was sent to the line to convert on a technical free throw, obviously in an attempt to get him going. He also struggled to contribute in other ways as he logged just one assist, no rebounds and was a minus-24 for the evening. If Wednesday was the first time one had seen Bogey play, they assuredly would be baffled at why the Jazz in their right mind would have invested four years and $73 million in him.

Nevertheless, particularly since it was just a preseason bout, Jazz fans absolutely should not panic whatsoever. First of all, Bojan didn’t have his talent taken away, this wasn’t his first basketball game even if some were just seeing him for the first time and despite a rocky start to his Jazz tenure, he has a body of success to justify his current contract.

Yes, as I’ve done thus far, it’s important to acknowledge that Bogey hasn’t looked good up to this point. Nevertheless, there are plenty of explanations and even more reasons to remain optimistic about how he will fit with the Jazz.

First of all, Bogdanovic is having to adapt to a whole new team, system and role with the Jazz. In the past two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Bojan Bogdanovic was typically Indiana’s second scoring option, then for the majority of last year with Victor Oladipo suffering a season-ending knee injury and dealing with issues before that as well, Bojan was thrust into their lead scoring role.

It was a position he handled well, proving that even with a heightened responsibility, he could thrive as his team needed. Jazz fans would do well to remember that from February to the end of the regular season last year, Bojan posted 21.2 points on 51.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.9 percent shooting from deep, all exceptional marks.

A guy with those kinds of numbers doesn’t just forget how to play basketball, and Bogey is sure to get re-acclimated and back in a groove. Plus besides, it’s entirely expected that he’ll need time to adjust. Rather than serve as the team’s number one option as he was used to last season, he’s now the third or fourth on offense for the Jazz.

Sure, that still makes him critically important, but he’ll have to learn which shots are his to take and how he should react when they’re not. Based on what we’ve seen out of him thus far, he’s had a hard time deciding when to shoot, when to pass, when to drive, etc. and that has often led to hesitancy and mistakes.

Along those lines, it should be pointed out that Bojan is a naturally reserved and what some may consider a timid person. He overcame that in a big way, at least on the basketball court, with a tremendous chemistry and team connection in Indiana. However, thus far it has been quite clear that he’s overthinking a bit. He likely knows he’s capable of going off and taking over a game as he did for the Pacers, but also doesn’t want to over-extend on a team with which he’s the newcomer and hasn’t built much rapport.

Like the Pacers of the past two seasons, the Jazz have also enjoyed a brilliant chemistry. And as soon as Bogdanovic feels assimilated into that locker room, I project he’ll get to that same point. It may take more patience with him than others (such as Jeff Green who’s appeared to adapt at a tremendous rate), due simply to Bogey’s nature, but he got there in a big way in Indiana and I’m certain he’ll do the same in Utah.

Not to mention, Quin Snyder employs systems that have been considered difficult to master on both defense and offense. There’s a reason why Quin’s defensive schemes have been voted the best in the NBA in the annual GM survey in back-to-back seasons, and it’s certainly not because they’re easy to learn. His read-and-react offense can take some adjusting to as well, so the learning curve for Bogdanovic should be expected rather than surprising.

Furthermore, considering that this summer Bogdanovic was unable to play with his Croatian national team as they weren’t a part of FIBA World Cup play, that has obviously left him with a bit of rust as he gets back into a rhythm.

In other words, between unfamiliarity with Quin’s system, a rattled confidence as he discovers his role on a team he’s not accustomed to, and rust from lack of typical summer playing time, it’s entirely understandable why Bogey would be off to a slow start.

With that out of the way, though, there are a few reasons why fans should feel confident that he’ll indeed be able to bounce back.

I touched on one already – the mere fact that Bogey closed last season playing at a near-All-Star level. He and his Jazz teammates all know what he’s capable of, and they’ll work with him to get him back comfortable so he can perform at that level.

Secondly, Bogdanovic has a reputation as a tireless worker. He was praised for it this summer and during his time in Indiana. He never takes a game or practice off. If anyone is aware of his struggles, he’s certain to be the foremost among them. I’m certain he is scrutinizing and learning as best he can while working tirelessly to get back on track. He will be as determined as anyone to fix these early issues.

Last of all, Quin Snyder is an excellent coach and Bogey is surrounded by exceptional teammates who are undoubtedly going to instill confidence in him. If Quin can get the most out of players once overlooked by the entire league such as Joe Ingles, Royce O’Neale, Georges Niang and others, then I’m certain he’ll be able to get through to a force like Bogdanovic and aid him in getting back on track.

Meanwhile, the Jazz players know how crucial Bogey is going to be to their overall success, so expect great teammates like Ingles, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley  to continue trusting him and ensuring that he feels valued and important on the team.

Bogdanovic’s preseason has been horrific. There’s no denying it. Aside from one good game against New Orleans wherein he notched 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from the perimeter, he’s gone just 7-of-36 from the field and 4-of-23 from deep, both horrendous marks. He’s looked discombobulated, lost and out-of-sorts.

Nevertheless, much of that confusion is to be expected and there are ample reasons to be encouraged about his ability to bounce back. Preseason is usually always misleading, for better or for worse. For Bogey and the Jazz, ideally it will be for better, and I believe it will be.

In spite of his slow start, he remains the prolific shooting threat, relentless worker and high-IQ basketball player he’s always been. It may just take him a little longer to showcase that with the Utah Jazz than originally presumed. But don’t panic, Jazz fans. Instead, rest assured that he will get there.