Bogdanovic Unsure If He’ll Be Ready For Jazz Opener

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Bojan Bogdanovic doesn’t know if he’ll be back for the Utah Jazz season opener. The Croatian sharpshooter underwent wrist surgery in May after suffering an early-season injury and missed the remainder of the NBA season in the Orlando bubble.

Bogdanovic has been rehabbing his injury since he got the brace off his wrist in July but has yet to go through a full basketball practice.

The Jazz are limited to one on zero workouts as camp opened on Monday but will progress to full participation later in the week as the team navigates league restrictions due to COVID-19.

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In fact, it was the best five-man unit in the NBA this season. https://t.co/xc14c8NvTJ

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“Right after the surgery I had cast on my hands I couldn’t do basically anything for the, for two months,” Bogdanovic said. “After those two months they removed the pins from my from my wrist and I was able to work on my motion.”

Bogdanovic had a standout season for the Jazz as the team’s second-leading scorer. The forward averaged 20.2 points, 4.1 assists, and shot a remarkable 41 percent from the three-point line on more than seven attempts per game.

Now, the Jazz must monitor how Bogdanovic’s wrist reacts as he retakes the floor.

“I’ve got to wait, and then start to go one on one, and then start to play five on five, then some contract games,” Bogdanovic said. “I will see how my wrist is going to react. But I’m really happy. I’m really happy with the position that I am in right now.”

Playing Alongside Derrick Favors

After resining Derrick Favors in the offseason, Bogdanovic may find himself playing alongside one of the bigger lineups in the NBA.

Rudy Gobert stands a full 7’0 tall, Favors is 6’9, and Bogdanovic is 6’8. The forward said he’s excited about the prospect of spending some time at the small forward position.

“I think that we’ve got a really good [front] line,” Bogdanovic said. “We can play with two bigs with him and Rudy on the court. But also we can play small like he did last season.”

Why did Derrick Favors return to the @UtahJazz?

"It feels like home."#TakeNote https://t.co/6T1KQobJRC

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Favors was tasked with playing alongside number one overall pick Zion Williamson with the New Orleans Pelicans creating one of the smallest, but strongest frontcourts in the NBA.

Though the two may end up splitting minutes at the power forward position, Bogdanovic said he anticipates Favors being an important addition to the roster.

“He really got a lot of experience,” Bogdanovic said. “He’s got a lot of years in the league so I think that he’s going be big time for us, especially in the playoffs.”