Hoops Habit
Fansided

Olympic NBA Prospect Power Rankings: Knockout Stage

By Matthew Medley

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: Dario Saric
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: Dario Saric /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 8
Next
Aug 14, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Serbia shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) shoots the ball in front of China center Zhelin Wang (31) and China guard Ailun Guo (6) during the men's preliminary round in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Serbia shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) shoots the ball in front of China center Zhelin Wang (31) and China guard Ailun Guo (6) during the men’s preliminary round in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports /

2. Bogdan Bogdanovic

Serbian fans were hoping to see Bogdan Bogdanovic bust out of his slump when he took the court against China on Sunday and the shooting guard did not disappoint, tying his tournament-high with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

It was the kind of game where the Sacramento Kings prospect was expected to have a big night and he capitalized on the opportunity, hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers.

The 23-year-old went through somewhat of a rough stretch against Australia, France, and the U.S., but those are tough opponents with good defenders.

It’s encouraging that Bogdanovic did damage against China and Venezuela, scoring 38 total points in those two games and shooting 15-for-25 (60 percent) from the field.

Serbia reached the knockout stage as the fourth seed in Group A, meaning it will take on Croatia in the quarterfinals.

Live Feed

1 advantage the Warriors have over each Pacific Division team
1 advantage the Warriors have over each Pacific Division team /

FanSided

  • 3 Ways Chris Duarte improves the Kings chances in 2023-24 A Royal Pain
  • NBA rumors: Erik Spoelstra is a trojan horse, surprise suitor for JaVale McGee, Ben Simmons still loves Philly FanSided
  • NBA Free Agency: Pacific rival shows interest in Golden State Warriors' champion Blue Man Hoop
  • Secret weapons to keep an eye on in the preseason for Lakers, Warriors, Kings FanSided
  • NBA legend picks Sacramento Kings over Golden State Warriors...again Blue Man Hoop

    • Although Croatia is a tough team and already pulled off big wins over Spain, Brazil, and Lithuania, its loss to Nigeria was a shock.

    Croatia is one of the biggest mysteries of the tournament and although it earned the top seed in Group B, few would say it has the best roster in the group.

    Meanwhile, Serbia lost to France by one point and lost to the U.S. by three.

    If there ever was a game that looked like a four seed had a great chance at upsetting the one seed, this would be it.

    Bogdanovic goes up against Bojan Bogdanovic, which will not only be confusing for fans, but also provides an exciting duel between two outstanding shooters.

    Bogdan is young and still a bit raw, but if he gets going, Croatia will have its hands full. Serbia is still waiting for Bogdan to come through in a big game against a tough opponent and this game would be the perfect time to make that leap.

    It makes for one of the most intriguing matches of the quarterfinals and another reason for that is because the game features the other NBA prospect in our rankings, the number one player in each of our last three lists.

    Next: 1. Dario Saric