Utah Jazz: Expect a huge stretch run from Bojan Bogdanovic

Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic is capable of some big time scoring nights every time he steps on the floor. The Jazz will need every ounce of scoring they can get from the Croatian sensation.

When the Utah Jazz signed Bojan Bogdanovic last summer, I didn’t know too much about him. I knew he could shoot the ball and had averaged double digits in scoring for a little while in his NBA career, but other than that I was clueless.

During training camp last fall, Donovan Mitchell told media members that “Every time (Bojan) shoots the ball, it goes in like 99 out of 100 times”. This was exciting to me that the Jazz acquisition had a chance to transform this team into a lethal 3-point shooting team.

He had a rough start during the preseason, but immediately started the regular season scorching hot. He rolled his ankle in the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but shook off the pain to finish the game.

He missed the second game against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road because of that ankle, but he returned and didn’t cool off from his 16 point season opener. He averaged 21.2 points per game the next seven games, and made a game winning triple against the Milwaukee Bucks.

I still wasn’t convinced that he would be able to retain such high stats through the course of an 82 game season, but I was happy the Jazz found themselves a sniper. If anything, I was expecting Mike Conley to eventually round into form and take the mantle of the second scoring option.

How wrong I was. In hindsight, Bojan has firmly established himself as the third best player on the Jazz. His turnovers could stand to be cut down, and I wish his legs were a little bit faster, but he’s been a great teammate and communicator on defense and fit right in.

In spite of this terrific debut season so far with the Utah Jazz, what if I told you there was more in store? What if I told you the Bojan can and will have a strong stretch run to end the season?

In four of his five seasons in the NBA, Bogey has really come on strong in the months of March and April. Even with the exception of the 2016-17 season, where his volume went down during the stretch run, his efficiency went up. Take a look at these numbers:

2014-15:

7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 41 FG%, 30 3pt % in October-February

11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 51 FG%, 44 3pt% in March-April

2015-16: 

9.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 42 FG%, 37 3pt%, in October-February

15.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 45 FG%, 40 3pt% in March-April

2017-18:

13.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 47 FG%, 38 3pt% in October-February

15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 47 FG%, 44 3pt% in March-April

2018-19:

17.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 49 FG%, 42 3pt% in October-February

19.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 48 FG%, 42 3pt% in March-April

As for the Utah Jazz, they will need every ounce of energy they can squeeze out of Bogey. In the past 10 games their offensive rating is a middling 14th in the league, and the defense is a dismal 26th.

Most of the blame towards the bad defense goes to effort, or a lack thereof. But in addition to effort the Jazz need to hit the bottom of the bucket more on offense and that will give them more time to get back on defense, and also more confidence as a whole.

Bojan has had one of the highest +/- rating on the team all year long, and if he can turn it up this stretch run, expect the Utah Jazz to bring the madness to March and put the league back on notice.