Rookie Bojan Bogdanovic a likely starter for Brooklyn Nets

Croatian rookie Bojan Bogdanovic appears to be the winner of the competition for the final starting spot for the Brooklyn Nets.

Bojan Bogdanovic hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard in the first two preseason games for the Brooklyn Nets, but it appears he has sewn up the job as the team’s fifth starter.

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Bogdanovic, who signed with the Nets after playing professionally in Croatie and Turkey the last five years, has started each of the preseason games for the Nets, including early Sunday morning in China against the Sacramento Kings.

He logged 28 minutes and scored six points on 3-of-7 shooting, missing all three of his attempts from long range.

The New York Post reported that Bogdanovic is the front-runner for the job, because he got those three open looks from long range.

Tim Bontemps wrote:

"With Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez out there with him, Bogdanovic is going to find himself with plenty of wipe-open looks from behind the arc, and particularly in the corners, where he spent most of Tuesday’s win over Maccabi Tel Aviv."

Bogdanovic averaged 14.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24 games for Fenerbahce in Turkey last season, shooting .468/.298/.817.

The 3-point shooting last season was an anomaly—he had hit 41.1 percent and 40.5 percent, respectively, in his first two seasons with Fenerbahce.

Bogdanovic, 25, played for Croatia in last month’s FIBA World Cup, averaging 21.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and shooting .500/.361/.744. He had a high of 27 points in Croatia’s round of 16 loss to France.

The Miami Heat selected Bogdanovic with the 31st overall pick in the 2011 draft, with his rights being swapped first to the Minnesota Timberwolves and then the New Jersey Nets on draft night.

Bogdanovic agreed to a three-year, $10 million contract in July.

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