The Utah Jazz need Bojan Bogdanović to consistently catch fire

While most view Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell as the leaders of this Utah Jazz squad, Bojan Bogdanović’s shooting heavily determines the team’s success.

Toni Kukoč, Peja Stojaković, Dirk Nowitzki, Hedo Türkoğlu and Mehmet Okur: what do all five of these hoopers have in common, you ask?

Well, for starters, they’re all European — you can tell, as they’re names are all but impossible to pronounce. On top of that, though each of them is presently retired, they’re all known as knock-down shooters from three-point territory, as well. When all is said and done, a similar reputation will follow the Utah Jazz’s Bojan Bogdanović.

To date, hands down, the Jazz are the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA, averaging 38.7 percent from deep on 34 attempts per game.

And while Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Royce O’Neale and even Georges Niang have all played sizable parts in making that happen, the deadliest of Quin Snyder’s long-range threats remains Bogdanović.

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After bringing “Bogey” onboard this past offseason on a four-year, $73 million deal, it was correctly assumed that Bogdanović would play a key role in the Utah Jazz’s 3-point attack.

Fortunately, his production has far outweighed any kind of expectation Justin Zanik might’ve had for him before the start of the regular season. This year alone, Bogdanović is averaging a career-high in three-point attempts with 7.4 long-distance heaves per game — just to put that number in perspective, the second-most he’s averaged in his six-year career is a mere 4.8 tries.

In spite of the stark difference in attempts (2.6), Bogdanović is putting up the second-best 3-point shooting percentage of his NBA tenure at 41.7 percent. Percentage-wise, his strongest output came last season in Indianapolis when he averaged 42.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Sure, this is great for Bogey, but what does all of this mean for the Jazz, though?

It’s quite simple, really — wins. And the numbers are there to back it up, too. Some first-hand statistical analysis conducted by Andy Larsen of The Sale Lake Tribune found the following:

"“[Bogdanović] … scores 3.8 more points per game in wins than in losses, his usage rate goes from 23.4 to 27.0 and he even gets 10 percent more assists, though slightly fewer rebounds.”"

You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to understand that, night in and night out, when players put their best foot forward out on the hardwood, their teams are more likely to win …

It makes sense, right?

Not so fast — believe it or not, of the Jazz’ starting five, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley’s offensive numbers largely remain the same, regardless of whether Utah wins or loses a game.

And Mitchell?

Contrary to what conventional wisdom might dictate, during a losing effort, the 23-year-old star tends to (inefficiently) score more points on more shots. When Bogdanović — or Ingles or Clarkson, for that matter — isn’t rolling on offense, Mitchell appears to overcompensate.

Furthermore, as pointed out by KSL’s Ben Anderson, up until the Jazz’s 126-113 pummeling of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, it’d been more than a month since Bogdanović had drained at least five threes in a single game. During that month-long period, the Utah Jazz were a lukewarm 6-6 — nearly on par with the likes of the lowly Charlotte Hornets (5-7) during that same 12-game span.

It’s safe to say that Bogdanović has been one of the most franchise-boosting free-agent signings of the 2019 offseason. When he’s hot, the impact he has on his Jazz teammates is most accurately depicted in the Jazz’s wins column …

But when he’s cold, Mitchell is often left to fend for himself.

For the Utah Jazz to make some real noise this postseason, Bogey needs to catch fire — and keep it.