Washington Wizards: The Beauty of Bojan Bogdanovic

Washington Wizards needed to find a scoring spark and Bojan Bogdanovic has become a go-to option for Scott Brooks off the bench.

It was clear from the start of the season that the Washington Wizards‘ bench needed help. The team’s second unit has been second to last in scoring and last in assists. Offensively, to put it bluntly, the bench has been atrocious.

During the trade deadline in February, President Ernie Grunfeld traded a 2017 first-round pick, Andrew Nicholson and Marcus Thornton to the Brooklyn Nets for Bojan Bogdanovic (and Chris McCullough, who at this point is merely a throw-in).

And the Wizards have seen an immediate return on that investment.

The Wizards needed to bolster their bench, but they also needed to add another shooter to go deep into the playoffs.

In his first three games with the Wizards, Bo Buckets has fit nicely into the team’s rotation, as if he’s been in D.C. all along. From his dominant style of play, one couldn’t tell that Bo was the new guy.

The most beautiful thing of it all is that Bo is a knockdown 3-point shooter. Not only does Bo drill his threes, he aggressively seeks out his teammates to hand him the rock so he can shoot.

Before, Markieff Morris used to lead the second unit to start the second quarter. Now, with his veteran leadership, Bogdanovic leads an all-bench lineup.

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In addition to leading the bench, in Sunday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic, Bogdanovic started the entire fourth quarter, where he was just raining threes.

Bo knocked down a career-high 8 threes against the Magic, and some of those threes were down the stretch in clutch moments.

In 27 minutes off the bench, Bo scored 27 points. He helped save the Wizards from an embarrassing loss.

Bo takes his shots without hesitation, whether there’s a defender in his face or not.

This confident type of play is what the Washington Wizards needed. Bo is not only comfortable, but he’s fearless from behind the arc.

In Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Bo drained six 3-pointers, as he led all scorers with 27 points in 25 minutes.

Bogdanovic has infused the Wizards with a new type of energy, and with his versatility he can play the two, three and even the four position.

Morris has been solid throughout the season, but after the All-Star break he hasn’t quite regained his footing.

Bogdanovic’s elite scoring, particularly his shooting, has helped fill the void. Morris became a consistent threat from deep, but has since struggled to find a rhythm. The addition of Bo has given Brooks another option.

He’s already become comfortable enough to play alongside the starters. He’s learned where to be on the floor, waiting for the ball to reach his hands. Once he releases, it’s just poetry in motion. It’s become a surprise if he misses.

Although they can’t sit out whole games like LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the starters can now get a little bit more rest with Bogdanovic on the floor. A fresh John Wall is an even faster John Wall during the playoffs.

With Bo Buckets’ scoring efficiency during the regular season, there’s no team that the Wizards can’t match up against.

Next: Are the Cavaliers Too Deep For the Wizards?

Ultimately, Bogdanovic could be the difference between a second round exit and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s been that good for the Wizards.

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