Bogdanovic - guard or SF?

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#1
In looking at the predictions on our starting 5, I'm seeing a number of people putting Bogs at the 3. My question is WHY? What is this fascination some have with immediately assuming a player can shift to another position?
 
#2
Oh gee, maybe it has something to do with having a million SGs and a grand total of one rookie SF.

In all honesty, I doubt he starts though. I'm not even sure he's going to be in the rotation to start the season and I'm not convinced he's going to be the difference maker people are calling him here.
 
#3
In looking at the predictions on our starting 5, I'm seeing a number of people putting Bogs at the 3. My question is WHY? What is this fascination some have with immediately assuming a player can shift to another position?
I agree VF. He has long arms but there is no visible sign of him playing 3. More in fact of him handling the ball a lil. Also, I find it hard to imagine he won't be our best shooting guard other than Temple.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#5
Oh gee, maybe it has something to do with having a million SGs and a grand total of one rookie SF.

In all honesty, I doubt he starts though. I'm not even sure he's going to be in the rotation to start the season and I'm not convinced he's going to be the difference maker people are calling him here.
And? How does that one statement change Bogdanovic from a 2 guard to a small forward? If we had tons of centers and one point guard, would we start a 5 at the 1?
 
#6
And? How does that one statement change Bogdanovic from a 2 guard to a small forward? If we had tons of centers and one point guard, would we start a 5 at the 1?
It doesn't. But someone's going to have to play out of position and it ain't going to be Buddy. They're saying to put him at the 3 because they believe in starting your best players, and shifting between wing positions isn't as egregious as moving from C to PG, come on now. Vince Carter is actually a SG but he's played SF for the past god knows how many years.

Blame the people who put together this roster.
 
#7
I see Bogdan eventually being able to play some 1, 2 and 3. He seems to be a versatile player and that is why I could see him backing up all 3 spots in time. Initially, he could be a super 6th man, if need be.

He will be primarily a SG at first, but as he adds on strength and weight, I can see him sliding over to the SF spot.

Seeing that Buddy has the upper hand in the SG race, because he was here and started last year, Bogdan's best chance for a starting job in the future, may be at the SF spot.

But we will have to see how everything plays out. While Buddy seems to only be a SG, Bogdan seems more versatile and can play multiple positions.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#9
Considering that the league is shifting away from positions and having more versatile guards/forwards playing different positions simultaneously he doesn't really have to be either or IMO. I know you don't want to put him out there to defend the likes of Durant, Leonard, Butler, Wiggins etc. in the Western Conference so as a team, they need to help each other out because this team simply doesn't have that one defender you can leave on an island unless you consider Temple & Koufos worthy of that.
 
#10
In looking at the predictions on our starting 5, I'm seeing a number of people putting Bogs at the 3. My question is WHY? What is this fascination some have with immediately assuming a player can shift to another position?
The NBA game changes extremely fast. In 2014, the Suns were scoffed at for their 2-PG system in Dragic-Bledsoe.Now, no one bats an eye at a Lillard-McCollum backcourt. In 2015, Karl's small-ball lineups were initially horrible to watch, but in 2017, we saw so many teams going small instead of big.
I'll answer your question. The game just keeps changing along with player archetypes. SFs are getting quicker instead of bigger. Guys like Lebron, Gay, Carmelo, and even Paul George have started playing minutes at PF instead of SF.

I don't think Bogdanovic is a SF at all, but in today's game, I think we could get a "pass" for him playing that position. He's not going to be able to guard Lebron, Durant, and Leonard, but he can keep up with guys like Crowder, Porter Jr, Ariza, and Bazemore. Along with this, we don't currently have a starting SF on the roster. VC is has very little gas left. Malachi is young/unproven, and also on the smaller side like Bogdanovic. Jackson is also entirely unproven, and with his light frame, I don't think he'd fair much better than Bogdanovic on defense. Bogdanovic is the best candidate out of those 3 right now. We also have Temple, but like Bogdanovic, he's not much of a SF either.

In my personal opinion, I think Bogdanovic is a ball handling SG. I think it'll come down to Buddy. If he can't hold down the starting SG slot, we'll see Bogdanovic slotted here.
 
#11
I still think Bogdan plays like a play making combo wing. He kind of reminds me of Hedo a little bit. He's not as tall but he's got good length. Truthfully for any of what the Kings are doing to work he'll have to play SF. If they try and split the minutes evenly between Hield and Bogdan you'll just end up with two players unable to ever reach their potential. Both will suffer and will lose any and all value. I expect to see a lot of Bogdan at SF this year and if it doesn't work then they need to find a way to balance the roster.
 
#12
I think he's a SG and I prefer him there, it will all depend if he can D-up 3s. The league seems to moving to more smaller line-ups so maybe he can be that guy as things move that direction. As he is an NBA rookie so I think proving himself at his natural position should probably be the priority.
 
#13
The reason I put Bogdanovic as a possibility at the three is because of Hield and our shortage of SF candidates. I agree with others that he is a SG. If he plays at the 3 I is only to get him more time on the floor. Hield is too short to put in time at the three, Temple and Bogdanovic are not. If it happens for Bogdanovic it will be short lived. VF21, your question was a good one.
 

HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#14
As to the original question my guess is a lot of posters in looking at the skill set and size of Buddy, Malachi and Temple see them as a collection of shooting guards who may be stretched to the the 3 but lack the size most small forwards. In looking at Bogdanovic they see length and move him over in their mind especially when seeing that we are thin at the three. But in a very real way if ANY 2 of these guys are on court with Fox or Hill we are not as much sliding a guy out of position as much as just flat running a 3 guard line up (I make no claims on the wisdom or foolishness of this move). This distinction matters, it is the difference between asking a 6'4" guy to slip into a line up and set of plays designed for a 6'8" SF and running an offense designed to take advantage of slower teams that may have trouble on the perimeter by fully utilizing the advantages gained by playing small for stretches of the game.

To be both fair and clear the only guy on the roster I see as a "true SF" is Jackson. In his youth Carter was swing man and give up size at the 4. That being said I would not rule out a LONG line up that features WCS, Skal and another big either. (Y'all know how I feel about small ball) ;)

In any event I can't imagine Jeoger is not going to experiment like crazy to see what looks work out best, Bogdanovic will turn up where his talents best serve the team. No matter how you slice it minuets at the 2 will be hard earned.
 
#15
The league is shifting down size wise. Small forwards and shooting guards in the traditional sense are virtually interchangeable. For the majority of the league, the 3 spot will be manned by a player that you can easily call a shooting guard.

While Bogdan isn't necessarily a traditional small forward, his size and game are well within the normal range. And if playing him at the 3 gets our top players more minutes, he should play at the 3.
 
#16
I'm just trying to find a way to maximize the talent on the roster and if it means temporarily putting him at the three (if it works) while JJ gets going, fine by me. I see JJ as long term starting 3 anyway. Very high on him.

At some point we'll have to figure out what to do between Buddy, Bogs, etc, because they both appear to have starter potential.
 
#18
As someone who has seen this kid play from age of 16, he is a guard, has played guard all his life and will continue to play guard. He might get some spot minutes at the 3 every now and then but he is a SG who can handle and initiate the offense.

There is more chance that Temple will play more SF than Bogdan.
Being able to handle and initiate the offense isn't an argument for playing him at SG.
 
#21
Disagree. Size, athleticism, length, strength, & defense are probably the most important factors going into what position you can play.
You can disagree all you want but in this particular case it doesn't make it fact. Temple will spend more time at SF than Bogdan. He is probably the most complete SG on the roster.
 
#22
You can disagree all you want but in this particular case it doesn't make it fact. Temple will spend more time at SF than Bogdan. He is probably the most complete SG on the roster.
So you disagree that size, athleticism, length, strength, and defense are the most important aspects in deciding what position a player can play? What does Temple have to do with my point?
 
#24
We have a plethora of players best suited to play sg, and it will be on the coaching staff to play to our strengths and the front office to make trades to alleviate the log jam. When the cream of the sg crop is clearly at the top, make moves with the others to strengthen areas of weakness. In this area we are early in the rebuild phase. Trying to shoehorn a player into an unnatural position long term is not viable. In spurts to get some burn, or on a switch, not an issue. We are not looking at a solidified roster yet by any means. If both Buddy and Bogdan are here for the long term, then one is likely to be the super 6th man. This doesn't even take into account Temple and Malachi.

I have confidence it will get sorted out in the long run. For now though a few guys are in for a battle and minutes squeeze.
 

CruzDude

Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
#25
The league is shifting down size wise. Small forwards and shooting guards in the traditional sense are virtually interchangeable. For the majority of the league, the 3 spot will be manned by a player that you can easily call a shooting guard.

While Bogdan isn't necessarily a traditional small forward, his size and game are well within the normal range. And if playing him at the 3 gets our top players more minutes, he should play at the 3.
And we read that the game is becoming more position less all the time, a la Warriors. Willy, Papa and Kosta play one position the 5. Skal is a 4 type if he can bulk and muscle up more but runs like a deer as would a 3, and there are more than a few 3's out there who are 6-11+. The 1-2-3 for the Kings may not make any difference and there are some awesome combos that can serve that 3-some: Fox-Hill-Bogs, Hill-Bogs-Jackson, Fox-Buddy-Bogs, etc, etc.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#26
And? How does that one statement change Bogdanovic from a 2 guard to a small forward? If we had tons of centers and one point guard, would we start a 5 at the 1?
First, in today's NBA there isn't a lot of difference between the two and three. Both positions require decent to good ballhandling, and the ability to shoot the ball. I think the fact that Bogdanovic's overall measurements 6'6.25", along with his wingspan 6'11" are almost identical to Iggy's, who plays SF almost exclusively, suggests that maybe he might be able to spend some time at the position. Not saying that he will, but with the glut at SG, it might make some sense in order to spread the minutes around.

It might help Buddy get more minutes at the SG position as well, because frankly, he might have a difficult time beating out Bog's for time there is it comes down exclusively to that. Bogdanovic is a better ball handler and better at running the pick and roll than Buddy is. He may prove to be a better overall defender as well. I don't envy Joerger trying to figure this all out, but with 10 of the roster spots taken up by players with less than two years of experience, the young guys are going to play.
 
#27
IMHO you're arguing theory to someone who is arguing fact, considering that Čarolija has been watching Bogs for years.
Incorrect. He/She stated that Bogdanovic is a SG and added that he can handle and initiate the offense. Why in the world would someone mention he can handle and initiate the offense when making the case he is a SG vs. a SF? It has no business being in a SG vs. SF convo. LeBron says hello. Ben Simmons says hello. Draymond says hello.
 
#28
As more than a few people have stated, I think Bogdan at "3" is more of a reflection of wanting to put two of our best long term future prospects on the court together combined with the fact that the 2/3 positions in the current game are almost interchangeable. Honestly at this point it is more about matchups - can you defend your man and can you score on the man defending you?

10 years ago would he rigidly be best suited as a "SG"? I think so. Today you might see 3-4 traditional "guards" on the court at any time.
 
#30
I've also seen him many times playing in Euroleague. He is definitely a SG, even for European standards he only had occasional minutes as SF, in NBA I imagine even less.
His ball handling and shooting (especially on a streak) are his biggest pro points. In Eurolegue last year he was a 43% 3pt shooter and 86% FT, he is one of the guys you want handling the ball especially during crucial moments.

My concern is the defense. There he is stuck between two positions. Defending the opponent SG or SF. He might have a big wingspan (6 11) for his height, but he lacks the power to guard stronger SFs and on the other hand he is not fast and agileenough to guard smaller and quicker SGs.

So by judging the player I know he would play SG in offense and depending on opponent and teammate SF, to switch on occasion in defense. Unless the team plans to, either work on his speed and agility to have him as a pure SG, or work in bulking him up and work his strength a lot, and them make him more of a hybrid SG/SF.

Cheers