The Utah Jazz: Bojan Bogdanović’s mid-season player grade
By Lucas Miller
Bogey on defense
Cut and dry, Bogdanović isn’t a stellar defender.
He might be great at coming around screens at speed for a quick three-point attempt, but on the defensive side of the ball, he about (prepare for hyperbole) has the lateral mobility of a baby elephant — a 30-year-old “baby” elephant, that is. Because of this, staying in front of smaller, more agile guards onto whom he’s (intentionally) switched quickly becomes a tall task.
During the Washington Wizards’ 2016-2017 postseason run against the Boston Celtics in the second round, it was all but impossible to keep Bogdanović on the court during pivotal moments.
Only one season later, however, Bogdanović would regularly match up against LeBron James.
No, he may not have shut down James entirely, but he was no longer seen as a defensive liability. Defensively, it’s that kind of ballpark in which the Croatian forward currently finds himself.
The “meh” nature of Bogey’s defensive abilities is reflected in the numbers he puts up. Nothing atrocious by any means, considering the 3.5 defensive rebounds per game he brings to the table.
With an individual defensive rating of 110.0 and a defensive plus-minus of 0.45, though, Royce O’Neale will be better suited to take on King James should the two meet in the playoffs.
In recent history, the Jazz have built a reputation for themselves as a defensive juggernaut of sorts around the league. In each of the past three seasons, the Jazz have finished in the top five for defensive rating, wrapping up the 2017-2018 season as the NBA’s best defensive team with a defensive rating of 103.0 — that’s no longer the case this year, unfortunately …
In spite of Rudy Gobert’s convincing campaign to become a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, the Jazz have slipped in defensive positioning, presently finding themselves with a 106.3 defensive rating — good enough to occupy the league’s eighth-best spot.
Bogdanović is by no means solely responsible for the drop-off, but his presence on the court has certainly played some part — when determining a final grade, this can’t be overlooked.
* Defensive Grade: B-
And now, for the final (drum roll, please) ruling …