By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic was named Western Conference Player of the Week, the NBA announced. Bogdanovic had 29.3 points, shooting 53.8 percent from the 3-point line, plus 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists to lead the Jazz to three wins.
This is Bogdanovic’s second weekly Player of the Week award, following one he had won with the Indiana Pacers in 2019.
Per Jazz:
The crowd chanted in unison.
“Bo-gey! Bo-gey! Bo-gey!”
And the NBA, in search of the best in the West, must have heard it loud and clear.
After setting a new career scoring high and helping the Utah Jazz to a perfect 4-0 record last week, forward Bojan Bogdanovic has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week.
Bogdanovic averaged 29.3 points (on 62.3% shooting and 53.8% 3-point shooting), 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists last week.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive. They need me to score more without, especially, Donovan,” Bogdanovic said this week. “I would love to have him back on the floor with us. With him out, I know I’m going to have more shots than I used to have this season. So I can be a little bit patient. I don’t have to hunt my shot and take bad shots. So I’m playing kind of relaxed and it’s good for me to get my confidence back and be ready for the playoffs. …
“Confidence is everything for every player in this league.”
Bogdanovic was a steady force for the Jazz all week:
MONDAY — Bogey scored 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, with three rebounds and two assists in a win against San Antonio.
WEDNESDAY — He followed up with 24 points on 10-of-13 field goals, along with two boards and in a rematch with San Antonio.
FRIDAY — The Croatian sharpshooter had a career night in the Jazz’s win over the Nuggets, scoring 48 points on 16-of-23 shooting. The forward’s previous career-best (44 points) came while he was playing for the Nets in 2016.
“I didn’t think I’m going to have a chance to break my career-high again, so it was a special night,” he said.
SATURDAY — He closed out his week with 20, five rebounds and two assists in a 124-116 win against the Rockets, with the Jazz becoming the first team to 50 wins in 2020-21.
“Bogdanovic is a problem,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said.
Bogdanovic is the first Jazz player to be named the conference’s player of the week since Rudy Gobert earned the honor for the week of March 18, 2019. This is Bogdanovic’s second Player of the Week accolade, having previously earned the Eastern Conference Player of the Week as a member of the Pacers in February of 2019.