It's that time again. Bojan Bogdanovic is flourishing ... but there's always the chance he'll slip back. He's done it more than once this season.
Over the last four games, the 6'8" Croatian is averaging 17 points, shooting 56.5 percent overall and 57.9 from deep. Friday night, he went 6-of-6 from deep to propel him to 22 points, the third time he's reached his career high.
“He’s playing with a lot more confidence,” Deron Williams said. “He seems more comfortable. I don’t know if he hit the little rookie wall, but he’s bounced back and he’s playing great for us. He’s doing a little bit of everything.”
Impressive but three weeks ago, he did the same thing. Over a four game stretch, Bogdanovic averaged 17.8 points, shooting 63.8 percent overall and 53.8 from deep. In the seven games in between, he averaged 5.3 points and shot 34.8 percent overall. From three point land, he was a miserable 18.8 percent.
Inconsistency really shouldn't be any surprise --he's a rookie, he's notoriously streaky, was in Europe, too, and his defense often warrants bench time. But the Nets need him badly, particularly with Alan Anderson out at least another two games and maybe longer. When he's on a roll like he was Friday night, he adds a dimension that neither Anderson and Markel Brown can, the ability to explode.
Take it look at what he did Friday, courtesy of Down to Buck.
- The silent assassin who is shooting Nets to the playoffs - Tim Bontemps - New York Post