After winning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in April, Bogdanovic was named to the NBA’s Second-Team All-Rookie, finishing the season with averages of 9.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, shooting 35.5 percent from three-point range. During his hot streak beginning in March, Bogdanovic said it took him time to adjust to just about everything NBA basketball.
“First, when I came, the biggest adjustment was the ball, which was completely different than Europe,” Bogdanovic told The Brooklyn Game in late March. “Also, (the) three-point line isn’t the same. Then, I have to adjust on defense because there are many, many differences, helps in the defense that I used to do in Europe.”
Though fellow rookie Markel Brown was the nominal starter after the All-Star Break, Bogdanovic earned the lion’s share of minutes at shooting guard as the season progressed, slotting into the starting lineup during the playoffs.
Bogdanovic also told The Brooklyn Game that his adjustments on the court were far more daunting than off the court. “There is no big adjustment off the court because I have many Croatians here, many friends,” he said. “Also, I have (Bosnian) Mirza (Teletovic) here to support me and that’s helped me.”
Teletovic is now a restricted free agent.
Recently, Bogdanovic returned home to Croatia, where he’s working out for the FIBA World Championships in Zagreb. Bogdanovic admitted he wasn’t the biggest fan of the NBA, but has since come around to the game, in a sitdown interview with a Croatian TV station.
“Honestly, before arriving I was not a big fan of the NBA, that’s why I had decided to stay in Europe, in Fenerbahce,” Bogdanovic told HRT, according to NetsDaily. “But when I arrived, I saw that it was really another world, a world unto itself, everything is arranged differently. I can say that I have now become a fan of the NBA.”
Though Bogdanovic may have wanted to stay in Europe, it also wasn’t that easy to bring him over. The Nets could only spend a little over $500,000 towards a buyout under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement while Bogdanovic was under contract with Fenerbahce, and there were rumors that his buyout was as high as $2 million. But Bogdanovic also signed with a European agent in February 2014, which may have indicated he wanted to stay back at that time.
He’s also become a fan of the Nets. In an interview with a Croatian newspaper shortly after the NBA season ended, Bogdanovic said he loves New York and wants to stay with the Nets.
“I did not know what to expect, what my role was on the team, and I think I can be satisfied with my performance and what I showed,” he said to HRT.
In the interview recorded in Zagreb, Bogdanovic is wearing a Brooklyn Nets shirt.
NetsDaily — Bojan Bogdanovic, back on the court, talks about his season … and the NBA
Hrvatska RadioTelevizija — BOJAN BOGDANOVIC INTERVIEW
