Sacramento Kings: 5 goals for Bogdan Bogdanovic in 2017-18

3. Adjust defense to NBA-level guard play

Bogdanovic isn’t known as a lockdown defender, but he still does well on that end of the floor. According to RealGM, he came away with a 104.1 defensive rating in 2016-17 and averaged 1.2 steals per game. While that is commendable at the European level, Bogdanovic is certainly going to have his hands full in the NBA.

Standing at 6’6″, Bogdanovic can defend both point guards and shooting guards. Considering the offensive efficiency at both positions these days, he will really need to bring his best each night.

But Bogdanovic isn’t alone in his defensive mandate. According to Basketball-Reference, the Kings finished 2016-17 with a 111.3 defensive rating, good for 25th-best in the league. The additions of a decent defender like Hill along with former Grit-N-Grinders Vince Carter and Zach Randolph — both of whom played under Kings head coach Dave Joerger when he coached the Memphis Grizzlies — should help with the team’s defensive image.

Bogdanovic, along with the other young wings on the roster, can learn how to play NBA-level defense from Hill and Carter. Best-case scenario, Bogdanovic comes away with a defensive rating around 109 while maintaining a steal-per-game average. He has the size and resources to accomplish this, so we’ll see if he’s able or willing to do so.