Hoops Habit
Fansided

Indiana Pacers position battles: Small forward

By Adrian Lawhorn

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 6: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Washington Wizards shoots a free throw during a game against the New York Knicks on April 6, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 6: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Washington Wizards shoots a free throw during a game against the New York Knicks on April 6, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Indiana Pacers will have some interesting starting position battles when training camp opens in September. Here is an analysis of the team’s upcoming competition at small forward.

The Indiana Pacers are going to look very different when the team takes the court for the first time in 2017-18. The most glaring change will be the subtraction of the team’s former starter at small forward, All-Star Paul George.

There are two primary players who will compete for the open small forward position: free agent signee Bojan Bogdanovic and third-year Pacer Glenn Robinson III.

Head coach Nate McMillan has already stated that when training camp begins in September, Bogdanovic will open as the starter. However, he was quick to point out that Bogdanovic will have to prove himself to remain there.

Bogdanovic was signed in large part because he is known as a great shooter, but as we’ve discussed in this space before, the statistics don’t align with that assessment.

During the 2016-17 season and over the course of his three-year NBA career, Bogdanovic has shot 37 percent from 3-point range — which is barely over the league average.

To be fair, Bogdanovic does have some offensive skill inside the arc as well, primarily off the drive. He hit over 51 percent of his 2-point attempts last year, so he can certainly do more than just launch 3-pointers.

Related Story: The Greatest Player In Every Franchise's History

However, anything Bogdanovic contributes offensively is generally negated (and then some) by his horrid defensive play; he has the reputation of being a very weak defender.

Bogdanovic’s status as a bottom-tier defensive player can be verified by examining ESPN‘s Defensive Real Plus-Minus metric, which rates him 466th out of 468 total players who logged minutes in the NBA last season.

Glenn Robinson III has made steady progress since joining the Pacers in 2015, and he’s now positioned himself to compete for a spot in the starting lineup after the departure of Paul George.

The standard thinking is that Robinson is a much better defender than Bogdanovic, but Bogdanovic is deadly from behind the arc and a more potent scorer than GRIII.

Robinson is regarded as an above-average defensive player, so that puts him leaps and bounds ahead of Bogdanovic in that respect. In addition, what we found when examining the offensive numbers may surprise you.

From 2-point range, Bogdanovic and Robinson posted the exact same field goal percentage last season (51.2 percent). From beyond the 3-point line, GRIII was better than Bogdanovic at 39 percent.

Even when comparing career statistics, Robinson comes out slightly ahead of Bogdanovic as a 3-point shooter at 38 percent. Clearly, reputation and reality do not always match.

We know that Bojan Bogdanovic is going to be given the first shot as the starter at small forward, and the Pacers are looking for him to flourish in a larger role than he’s had in previous NBA stops.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

However, it appears that unless Bogdanovic can find a way to improve his performance on the defensive end, Glenn Robinson III will have a good chance of taking over the starting small forward spot at some point during the season.

Home/Indiana Pacers