The Atlanta Hawks (28-30) have found some success after placing swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic on the bench where his scoring prowess can be showcased properly. Since the switch, Bogdanovic is averaging 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from downtown.
More importantly, the Hawks are 7-5 in that span. While that might not seem like much, they were 21-25 leading up to it.
They went 4-1 over his most recent absence but are 9-9 in the games he’s missed.
For their stretch run to be a success, they will need him to continue being the late-game presence he has been. Since his return, Bogdanovic leads the team in fourth-quarter minutes seeing just under 10 per outing.
The Atlanta Hawks are getting solid play in late-game situations from Bogdan Bogdanovic
It’s long been a point of contention in this space that the Hawks need someone else capable of taking the pressure off of Trae Young in late-game and clutch situations. But the point really does hold throughout the game as the constant narrative of them being too Young-dependent has persisted.
Bogdanovic is making that less of an issue.
He’s second on the team averaging 5.2 points while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from downtown in the fourth quarter since joining the bench.
Before that that he was averaging just 1.7 points on 27.8 percent shooting while only hitting 22.2 percent of his looks from beyond the arc. He was also seeing fewer than 7.0 minutes per contest.
As for his play in the clutch, Bogdanovic’s numbers have held fairly consistent since he was moved to the second unit. He has gone from averaging 2.5 points to 2.4 and has seen his 60 percent mark from the field flip-flop with his 50 percent rate from outside. But the most important metric might be where Bogdanovic is in the waning moments of games.
On the floor.
Bogi scored 23 PTS and a 69.2% FG, going 4-6 in 3's vs. ORL, earning him the @scanaenergy Hot Shot of the Week pic.twitter.com/SRSp8Bhjy4
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 18, 2022
Bogdanovic is the only constant in the Hawks top three lineups by total fourth-quarter minutes. He’s also the only player on every fourth-quarter lineup with a positive net rating and is on the lineup sporting the best net rating among those with at least 25 minutes together.
His importance is on par with John Collins in that what Collins brings to the table with his energy and versatility, Bogdanovic brings with his scoring and playmaking. He has played timely defense in the past but that hasn’t quite been the case this year.
He also has 10 games with multiple steals which isn’t enough to crack the top 100 in the NBA but is good enough for third on the Hawks behind Delon Wright and Young.
When the Hawks return to action they can thank the decision to keep Bogdanovic on the bench for, at least in part, contributing to their going from averaging 25.3 points in the fourth quarter to 27.1 points. That’s a jump from 23rd in the league to 16th for a team that was already sporting a top-10 offense.