Utah Jazz: Bojan Bogdanovic deserves standing ovation in return to Indy

Although his time in Indianapolis was short, Bojan Bogdanovic deserves a warm welcome when he returns to take on the Indiana Pacers as a member of the Utah Jazz.

Although many Utah Jazz fans viewed Mike Conley as the team’s big prize this offseason and Bojan Bogdanovic as the extra gravy, the truth has been that Bogey has been the most exhilarating newcomer as Utah’s most efficient and dangerous scorer. Between several big-time shots, relentless hustle and a game-winner against the Milwaukee Bucks, Bogdanovic has quickly wended his way into the hearts of Jazz fans.

And on Wednesday evening, he’ll return to a place where he was equally beloved when the Jazz take on his former Indiana Pacers squad. Bojan played for the Pacers for two seasons before joining the Jazz, and those two years were easily the best of his career.

Although Bogdanovic’s stop in Indiana wasn’t that lengthy, he was a special player there and a key piece to the success they had and are continuing to build on. For that very reason, he deserves recognition and a significant ovation from the Pacers fans in attendance.

No, neither his tenure nor success there warrant a tribute video or the heartfelt uproar that Conley received in Memphis, but Bogey definitely deserves high praise upon his introduction, with fans paying their respect to a once great Pacer, whose stop in Indianapolis was likely viewed as far too short by most of the fanbase.

The first year that Bogdanovic came over to the Pacers, they were fresh off the widely-criticized Paul George trade in which Indiana netted Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Heading into that season, most had the Pacers pinned as bottom-feeders and almost certainly a lottery squad with little outstanding talent on the team.

Instead, Oladipo enjoyed a breakout season, Sabonis was prolific, Thaddeus Young was the perfect glue guy, Myles Turner continued to ascend and the team’s overall chemistry made them far greater than the sum of their parts. And, oh yeah, Bojan Bogdanovic transformed into arguably the second-best player on the team.

He responded with career-highs in points, field goal percentage and three-point percentage, and was a part of one of the most entertaining and fun-to-watch Pacers teams since the days of Reggie Miller. Yes, the Paul George-led Pacers squads heading to the Eastern Conference Finals enjoyed more success, but the captivating chemistry and overall energy and pluckiness of the Pacers squads with which Bojan played made them truly something special.

Thanks to his play, along with that of his teammates, the Pacers managed to defy the odds and low expectations to climb to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. Had it not been for the most unfortunate of all seeding situations wherein the eventual East Champions and East favorites, the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers, fell to the fourth seed, I’m convinced the Pacers could have advanced a round or two into the playoffs.

But even though James’ apathetic approach to the regular season in the East led to the Cavs finishing fourth in the regular season to take on Indiana in the first round, Bojan Bogdanovic and Co. gave them all that they could handle. The Pacers pushed the Cavs to an extremely memorable seven-game series where Indy was on the cusp of an incredible upset.

And perhaps one of the greatest moments of those playoffs came in Game 3 where Bojan Bogdanovic went supernova to spur the Pacers on to an incredible come-from-behind victory by knocking down 30 points and draining seven three-pointers in the process. I’ve included the highlights below for your viewing pleasure:

That moment. That series. That season. All combined led to Bogey truly earning a special place in Pacers fans’ hearts.

The next season, Bogdanovic and the Pacers were expected to accomplish big things. And they looked well on their way to doing so until Victor Oladipo went down with a serious quad injury which would hold him out for the entirety of the remainder of the season. However, although Vic’s injury significantly diminished the Pacers’ hopes of being a true force in the East, they remained competitive and once again fought their way to a fifth seed, thanks largely to the impressive play of Bojan.

Stepping up into the role of leading scoring option in Oladipo’s absence proved a worthy responsibility for Bojan as he thrived in the position. In 2018-19, he put up a career-high 18 points on an additional uptick in efficiency despite the heightened volume and responsibility. In truth, Bogey emerged as a star that year who was the key cog that rescued the Pacers from what could have been a disastrous season and instead turned it into a successful playoff appearance.

Bojan’s hard work, sacrifice and determination for the Pacers in no way, shape or form went unnoticed. Fans were largely devastated to lose him and therefore should be thrilled to see him back, providing him with the warm welcome he deserves, even if they cheer against him for the remainder of the game in defense of their team, as they should.

But even Bogdanovic’s departure was likely understandable for Pacers fans. Bogey loved Indiana and the organization was high on him as well. Surely the two parties remaining together would have been celebrated by both sides. But the Pacers were looking to go younger and Bogdanovic couldn’t pass up the extra year the Jazz were willing to offer on a four-year contract as he looked to put himself and his family in the best position. So in many ways, the parting of ways was mutually beneficial.

Bogdanovic got the chance to solidify the stability he was seeking, join a title contending team and fill a role perfectly befitting of his skill set. Meanwhile, the Pacers managed to use the freed up dollars from his departing contract to find ways to improve all while better matching up with their roster’s timeline. Both teams are off to great starts in 2019-20 and it’s wonderful to see them both thriving.

In summary, Bogdanovic was a part of several great and extremely entertaining times in Indy. He gave that city his heart and soul, and drew the admiration of several Pacers fans in the process. For all these reasons, though his stint there was short and he now dons a different-colored jersey, Bojan Bogdanovic still deserves a warm welcome and standing ovation when he returns to visit the organization that helped shape him into the prolific player he is today.

The Pacers were lucky to have Bojan and the Jazz are fortunate to have him now. As such, both teams should be excited and proud of the success and improvement he continues to show.