INGLEWOOD — The drive to succeed in sports comes from many sources. It could be parents or coaches, teammates or simply from within. Then there are outside influences, such as shame and embarrassment.
Newly acquired Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic knows the latter well. As a teenager playing basketball in Serbia, a loss in a big game had consequences. Nothing as mundane as running lines or extra practices, though.
“People who know me know that I’ve been playing big games since I was 18, starting with (Serbian club teams) Partizan and then at Fenerbahce,” Bogdanovic said. “If you don’t win a game (there), you can’t go out in the city. You can’t have a normal dinner. You can’t have fun.”
As harsh as it sounds, Bogdanovic, 32, said that type of pressure shaped him, first in club play then for five seasons in the EuroLeague and now the NBA, where he has solidified himself as the backup point guard on the Clippers.
“I don’t feel it anymore. Now, I’m just reading the game,” Bogdanovic said.
Bogdanovic’s ability to read the floor, knowing where to pass or when to shoot, has elevated the Clippers’ offense, giving them a high-level passer and another long-range shooter behind 11-time All-Star James Harden.
“Bogey, him coming to our team really gave us a shot in the arm and helped us out in all of those areas,” assistant coach Brian Shaw said. “(His) spacing, being able to handle the ball takes some of the pressure off of James … and then when we want to seek out mismatches, they have to account for him out on the 3-point line and that leaves the paint and everything open.”
Bogdanovic came to the Clippers on Feb. 6 in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, where he played for four-plus seasons. In his last full season with the Hawks in 2023-24, he averaged career-highs of 16.9 points and 1.2 steals per game and shot 92.1% from the free-throw line and averaged 3.1 assists.
In 17 games with the Clippers (39-30), Bogdanovic is averaging 12.6 points and 3.2 assists and shooting 40% from 3-point range. He made all eight of his shots (four 3-pointers) for 20 points to go with seven assists and two steals in a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Center Ivica Zubac said Bogdanovic has been playing at this level for his entire career, but few have noticed because many believe he’s just a shooter.
“The man’s been playing, doing everything on the offensive end throughout his whole career for the national team in Europe and now people can see he’s more than a shooter,” Zubac said. “He’s a great pick-and-roll player. He’s very smart. His IQ is off the charts, and he works really hard so he’s a really good addition to our team.”
Zubac and Bogdanovic have developed a fast friendship, one bonded by the same language. While Zubac is from Croatia and Bogdanovic is Serbian, their native Balkan language is the same but spoken with different dialects.
Zubac said Bogdanovic has helped with more than just words, although it helps during games when the two communicate on plays.
“He gives me a lot of confidence, and I try to return the favor by pushing him to be aggressive,” Zubac said. “He does the same for me, and we’ve developed some chemistry in the pick-and-roll. We’re playing off each other, reading the game, and it’s really easy. So, I’d say him coming here has really made a difference for me.”
Zubac isn’t the only Clippers player happy to have Bogdanovic in the fold.
Following their victory against the Miami Heat, when Bogdanovic had 30 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Harden had 24 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, the veteran point guard took to social media comparing himself and Bogdanovic to an iconic movie duo, the stars of “White Men Can’t Jump” with the comment Bad Boys 25’ and hashtag #UNO.
Bogdanovic responded with “Unović” and a saluting face emoji.
“I didn’t know what to write,” Bogdanović said of his response, adding that he wears Harden’s shoes and they play similar games. “So, it was a good thing.”
He added that Harden and Zubac “are the two most guys that are helping me with adjustments.”
Harden said he quickly noticed Bogdanovic’s hesitation on offense and got “on his (butt). He needed to be aggressive. He’s so good, especially offensively, that if he’s reluctant or not shooting the basketball or not being aggressive, it hurts our team.”
While Bogdanovic was quick to make alliances in the locker room, the karma on the court wasn’t instant. His integration was a slow process as the team initially viewed him solely as a shooter.
In his first five games, Bogdanovic shot 37.5% from the field (21 for 56). His 3-point shooting was a dismal 22.8%, which included a horrendous 1-for-12 night in a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Still, no one gave up on him, he said.
“They have trusted me and not only when it’s going well, when I was shooting 1 for 12, they keep trusting me and they see probably how much I’m putting in work,” said Bogdanovic, who is now at 48.5% from the field and 40% from 3-point range with 3.2 assists per game for a team that has won seven of its past eight games.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said he used to look at Bogdanovic “as a shooter, a guy who can handle a little bit. … I didn’t think he could be that good in pick-and-roll situations. But he really has been.”
For Bogdanovic, his emergence as a go-to in pick-and-roll situations and a versatile threat with the ball in his hands was simply a matter of time.
“It’s a little bit different playing with different guys, different tendencies, so it takes time for everybody,” he said. “I was in good shape, but still playing with a new team, new stuff, new role, it’s a little bit different and no matter how good you are, it takes time.”
MEMPHIS AT CLIPPERS
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/radio: FDSN SoCal/570 AM
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