Prospect Spotlight: Bogdan Bogdanovic helps propel Fenerbahce to victory over Panathinaikos

The Euroleague Round of 16 kicked off this weekend and there were a number of excellent games in the opening stanza of this run-through. Six of the eight games were decided by less than ten points, and there was plenty of fun action to watch.

From an NBA prospect point of view, there were some good performances, but this week we spotlight Fenerbahce’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was key to the Turkish side’s 82-75 victory over Panathinaikos.

Fenerbahce has been a team with a strong, balanced offensive attack filled with former and future NBA players, and this weekend’s win was no different. Fenerbahce had five players score at least 12 points, led by Ekpe Udoh, who had 16. Bogdanovic, the 27th pick of the 2015 Draft by the Phoenix Suns, was one of those players, scoring 12 points on just five shots in 33 minutes of play. In addition, he had three rebounds and four assists, and was tasked with defending Sasha Pavlovic and James Feldeine, helping to hold the latter scoreless on 0-7 shooting.

Bogdanovic helped Fenerbahce open up a 28-18 first quarter lead, pitching in a driving layup and a pull-up 3-pointer to finish the quarter with seven points. He hit another 3 in the final minute of the second quarter, capping a nice offensive half with ten points and an assist. This played right into the team’s game plan, as Fenerbahce spent most of the first half opening up the floor by heavily working the ball to Bogdanovic and Gigi Datome. After establishing the threat, they let Pero Antic and Udoh take over on the inside thanks to the increased spacing from the long ball.

The threat of Bogdanovic meant that help defenders had to cling to him a little longer than usual, and it opened things up for Fenerbahce’s pick-and-roll, such as this possession where Nikos Pappas (#11 in green) got hung out to dry on a Jan Vesely slam.

That conundrum Pappas faced results from an entire season of Bogdanovic’s offense revolving around the 3-ball. The Serbian guard is hitting 40 percent from deep on nearly four attempts per game in Euroleague play, and 45.5 percent from deep in domestic play. Over 50 percent of Bogdanovic’s total shots on the year have been 3s, making his percentage even more impressive given the volume. Bogdanovic’s 3-point shooting was his biggest draw as an NBA Draft prospect, and now, he’s blossomed into one of the best shooters in Europe.

Bogdanovic also helped finish Panathinaikos off late, using his court vision to set up Antic for the dagger with 1:14 left in the game.

Bogdanovic’s passing hasn’t been as on display this year as it had been two years ago at Partizan and last year for Fenerbahce, but he’s still a good passer, especially on the drive-and-kick. He hasn’t gotten as many chances this year to attack as a lead ball-handler because of the addition to Fenerbahce of Bobby Dixon, a solid pick-and-roll guard, so it was nice to see him get more of a chance to swing the ball around in this game.

And then there was Bogdanovic’s defense, which has been consistently better this year than what we’ve seen in the past. Bogdanovic has the tools to be a great defender, with a 6-11 wingspan, solid lateral quickness and good aggression that allows him to average nearly a steal per contest. Bogdanovic often gets the best wing scorer while playing with Fenerbahce’s starting lineup because he needs to cover for Luigi Datome, a mediocre defender. Against Panathinaikos, the results were pretty stunning: With Bogdanovic on the floor, Sasha Pavlovic and James Feldeine, the Panathinaikos starting wings, did not hit a field goal attempt between them.

Bogdanovic’s performance wasn’t the only reason Fenerbahce was able to beat Panathinaikos. Fenerbahce has been one of the most cohesive and consistent teams in the competition this year, and Bogdanovic is only one part of that. But this week, Bogdanovic’s performance was especially strong, and hinted at several of the key aspects that should make him a strong NBA rotation player someday.