X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Serbian Bug Hits the NBA: What to Expect from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Milos Teodosic?

As Nikola Jokic frenzy reaches its highest heights, a few of his fellow countrymen from Serbia are on their way to join him in the NBA and show what they're made of.

There's no shortage of interest in how well Milos Teodosic's game will translate to the NBA and, of course, fantasy basketball. Furthermore, Bogdan Bogdanovic is turning some heads with Sacramento. The Kings are set to push the reset button which has us wondering just how big of a role will he play in that scenario.

This offseason has been one of the busiest and most exciting in recent years, and these two "rookies" just ad to the mystery of what this new NBA will look like this year. Being from Serbia myself, I have been following careers of these two players for some time now and I will try to provide useful insight of what we can expect from them in NBA this season and in the future.

Upgrade To VIP: Save 50% on any NBA Premium Pass using discount code SMASH. Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

This is Bogdan's KINGdom come

Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic have long since retired, but they now make a very exciting front office of the Sacramento Kings that has brought one of the most intriguing rookies over to the NBA in Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Bogdan is not your typical rookie. He has a lot of Euroleague experience and was one of the leaders of his team Fenerbahce in their road to the Euroleague title last season. He is a pretty decent clutch guy as he has been put in such situations by his former coach Dule Vujosevic quite often back when he played for Partizan Belgrade. Just as a reminder, Partizan is the team that gave us Vlade Divac, Predrag Danilovic, Predrag Drobnjak, Nenad Krstic, Nikola Pekovic, Jan Vesely and Joffrey Lauvergne, among other basketball greats that never tried their luck in the NBA. That is a rich pedigree. Bogdanovic continued that clutch trend in his next club Fenerbahce, and on the Serbian national team that won Silver at the 2016 Olympics after losing by just 3 points to the heavily favored Americans.

Bogdan is a 6'6" shooting guard who can fill in as a small forward as well. He shoots the ball quite well and can create his own shot. He has improved a lot in his last Euroleague season as he averaged 14.6 PTS with just over 2 threes per game. He shot 43.0% on 107 three-point attempts and 56.9% on his 109 two-pointers while hitting 85.5% of his free throws. Those are all career highs so I doubt that is sustainable in the NBA, but a version of this should mark him as a highly efficient three-point threat in his rookie year. He also managed 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.4 turnovers in just under 28 minutes per game. So he is a really well-rounded player who has the potential to be a leader on offense and contribute a bit on the defensive end as well.

He just turned 25, so his experience should come in handy through his adaptation to the NBA in his rookie season. Even though the Kings do have a decent young backcourt in  De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Justin Jackson, with George Hill and Vince Carter providing sage advice in games and training, I still expect Bogdanovic to get between 25 and 30 minutes a game by the end of the season. He is a favorite of Vlade Divac and deservedly so, so that can play to his advantage and allow him to have more freedom and find his place with the Kings.

Bogdan is currently with the Serbian national team at Eurobasket and he is the absolute leader of this team with Nikola Jokic, Milos Teodosic, Nemanja Bjelica and several other star players from missing the tournament. In the first four games he has accumulated averages of 21.0 PTS with 2.8 3PM on averages of 45.9 FG% and 77.3 FT%, 4.3 REB, 4.3 AST, 2.0 STL, 0.3 BLK and just 1.5 TO in 32 minutes per game. He's hit some clutch threes, and once again proved himself a hero by stringing together 10 points in a row in the fourth quarter in a close contest against Turkey. Keep in mind though that he will probably play less minutes in the NBA, but will not be as closely guarded since there will be plenty of offensive threats besides him on the Kings roster. That should come equal to a few less counting stats and more decent percentages from the "God Given" (that is what his name means in Serbian).

Points in the low teens with a few threes and decent percentages, along with a sprinkle of this and that will give his owners a smile on their faces. Especially if they're willing to forgive a few turnovers while he gets accustomed to his new team and league. And if he continues his improvement from last season, he might just play an even bigger role for Sacramento going forward. I would definitely be willing to spend a lower round draft pick on him, especially in dynasty leagues. And even though Bogdan is my fellow countryman and one of my favorite players of all time, so I'm definitely biased, you should be looking to spend such a pick on him too.

 

Can the "Passing Wizard" pass his NBA test?

You don't see a lot of players with as much talent and feel for passing as Milos Teodosic. He has been delighting basketball crowds across Europe with his insane dimes for over a decade now. He has finally decided it's time for the next step. And it's a big one. The biggest one to be exact. It's the NBA, where he's trying to help fill the shoes of the NBA's most famous passing wizard, Chris Paul.

It will be hard for Teodosic to guard other point guards in the NBA as he is not the greatest of athletes or defenders. He'll contribute barely anything as far as defensive stats in fantasy. He has averaged over 1 steal per game just once in his Euroleague career. And even though he is a 6'5" point guard, he is not a shot blocker. He has blocked a total of 11 shots in his 10 Euroleague seasons.

On the other hand, with his size and a whole lot of international experience, he will be able to use that to his advantage in making the transition comfortable on offense. In addition to his tremendous passing ability, his shooting is a relevant factor in his game. He is a career 37.6% three-point shooter with his career best 42.8% coming just two seasons ago. Add to that his ability to run the pick and roll with the best of them, and partners like DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin to execute on his dishes or create space for his shot, and there's no reason for him not to be a great asset for those owners in need of threes and assists with decent percentages.

If we take a look at his Euroleague stats from last season we can see a bit more clearly what should we expect from my namesake this season in a new environment. He had 16.1 PTS with 2.7 3PM on 44.4 FG% and 89.7 FT% along with 2.1 REB, 6.8 AST, 0.6 STL and 3.0 TO in 28 minutes a game. It should be underlined here that he took almost twice as many 3-pointers than 2-point shots, which is a  treat for fantasy owners and justifies his 44.4 FG%.

Now I seriously doubt that he will get 28 minutes a game, at least not out of the gate, but with Patrick Beverly having such bad luck with injuries, Teodosic might just be the one left to fill most of the void left by Chris Paul's departure. In a realistic 25 minutes a game, I expect Teo to hit around 2 threes, score 10-15 points and dish out 5-7 assists with a rebound or two and a steal every other game. For someone who takes so many threes, he will be positive influence on your FG%, but how much will depend on his usage and on whether Doc Rivers has him penetrating or roaming around the perimeter. He is, as mentioned before, a non-factor in blocks, and he will probably have over 2 TO per game, as his crazy vision demands a mistake here or there.

For a guy who will most probably be there near the end of your draft, Teo is definitely worth a look. He will surely dazzle you with his assists and contribute significantly to your perimeter shooting without ruining your percentages. But I don't see him helping out too much in any other categories, barring some significant changes to the Clippers roster which would give him a larger chunk of playing time. If you draft him you will own one of the most exciting players in the world. You will love following the highlight reel day-in, day-out.

"Duuuude, did you see what Teo did last night!?"

"Of course I did, he is on my fantasy team."

 

More 2017-18 Fantasy Basketball Analysis


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaylen Waddle

Dolphins Don't Have Plans to Trade Jaylen Waddle
Francisco Lindor

has Elbow Surgery, Expected to be Ready for Spring Training
Mike Conley

Moves to Bench to Start Season
Aaron Jones Sr.

Considered Questionable to Play on Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo

Opening Season as a Starter
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Dowgraded to Probable on Wednesday
Karl-Anthony Towns

Upgraded to Questionable For Season Opener
PGA

Alex Noren is a Smash Play at Bank of Utah Championship
Jalen Suggs

Good to Go on Wednesday Night
Karl-Anthony Towns

Now Doubtful for the Opener
Mike Evans

Could be Back in Under Eight Weeks
Bucky Irving

Will Not Play in Week 8
Jayden Daniels

Will Not Play on Monday Night Against Chiefs
Darren Waller

Dolphins Place Darren Waller on Injured Reserve
Maverick McNealy

Look Out For Maverick McNealy This Week in Utah
Justin Lower

Unlikely to Flip The Script at Bank of Utah Championship
Stephan Jaeger

Looking for Repeat Performance in Utah
CFB

Behren Morton Will be Listed as Questionable on Wednesday
Max McGreevy

a Longer Shot to Contend in Utah
Jackson Suber

on the Bubble for the PGA in 2026
Greyson Sigg

Improving at the Right Time This Fall
Seamus Power

Hopes to Make More Birdies This Week
Patton Kizzire

May Struggle Once Again in Utah
Beau Hossler

Up and Down Heading to Bank of Utah Championship
Adam Hadwin

Looking to Find the Weekend in Utah
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Enjoying the Fall Golf Season
Grant Williams

Sidelined for Start of Season
Dante Exum

Unavailable Wednesday
Robert Williams III

Ruled Out for Wednesday
Kelly Olynyk

Not Ready for Spurs Debut Wednesday
Ace Bailey

Questionable for Season Opener
Isaiah Collier

to Be Re-Evaluated in One Week
Brad Marchand

Delivers Two Assists on Special Night
Adrian Kempe

Lifts Kings to Victory Tuesday
Justin Brazeau

Records Three Points Against Canucks
Jack Hughes

Pots Third Career Hat Trick
TOR

Chris Tanev Could Miss Time With Upper-Body Injury
Jack McBain

Evaluated for Upper-Body Injury
Tom Hoge

Sputtering into Bank of Utah Championship
Sahith Theegala

On the Upswing Heading into Utah
Andrew Putnam

Looks to Find Form in Utah
Matt McCarty

Looks to Defend Title in Utah
Ben Kohles

a Strong Value Play at Bank of Utah Championship
Max Homa

Trending Up Entering the Bank of Utah Championship
Nick Dunlap

Searching for Spark at Bank of Utah Championship
Quade Cummins

Struggling to Find Form Ahead of Bank of Utah Championship
Gabe Vincent

Starting on Tuesday Night
Maxx Crosby

Raiders Won't Trade Maxx Crosby
Caris LeVert

Listed Probable for Season Opener
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Good to Go Versus the Lakers
Jonathan Kuminga

Officially Available on Tuesday Night
Anthony Edwards

Uncertain for the Opener
De'Aaron Fox

Sidelined For Spurs Season Opener
Jonathan Marchessault

Remains Absent Against Ducks
Darcy Kuemper

Available Tuesday
Corey Perry

Makes Season Debut Tuesday
Matt Duchene

Misses Tuesday's Action
Kevon Looney

Unavailable For Season Opener Versus Memphis
Alexander Romanov

Unavailable Versus Sharks
Brock Boeser

Remains Out Tuesday
Jared McCann

Out on Tuesday
Daniel Gafford

Not Expected to Play Versus San Antonio
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Wednesday
Jason Day

Making a Spot Start at Bank of Utah Championship
Los Angeles Angels

Kurt Suzuki to be the Angels' Next Manager
Bo Bichette

Plans to be Ready for World Series
Tyrod Taylor

Aaron Glenn "Moving Toward" Naming Tyrod Taylor the Starting QB
Zach Charbonnet

Finds the End Zone Twice on Monday Night
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Continues Elite Production
Chris Godwin

Bucky Irving May Not Play This Week
Michael Penix Jr.

Expected to Be "Good to Go" for Sunday
Nick Foligno

Back With Blackhawks
Pierre-Luc Dubois

Remains Sidelined Tuesday
Alexander Romanov

a Game-Time Call for Tuesday
Niko Mikkola

Cleared for Tuesday
Matt Duchene

Probable for Tuesday's Game
Adin Hill

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Monday
Nico Collins

Ruled Out Late on Monday Night With Concussion
Nico Collins

Suffers Head Injury on Monday Night
Jahmyr Gibbs

Blows Up For 218 Total Yards, Two Touchdowns in Win
Mike Evans

to Miss Most of the Year With Broken Clavicle
Brandon Woodruff

Expects to Be Ready for Opening Day
Mike Evans

Ruled Out Monday With Concussion, Shoulder Injury
Mike Evans

Making his Return in Primetime Against Detroit
Emeka Egbuka

Officially Active on Monday Night
Patrik Laine

Remains Out Monday
Jared McCann

Out Against Flyers
Michael Penix Jr.

Dealing With Bone Bruise in Foot, Considered Day-to-Day
Jayden Daniels

Avoids Long-Term Injury, Status Unknown for Week 8
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder Suffers His First UFC Loss
Brendan Allen

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kevin Holland

Drops Decision
Mike Malott

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Marlon Vera

Loses Third Consecutive Fight
Aiemann Zahabi

Gets A Razor-Thin Split Decision Win
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Manon Fiorot

Gets Back In The Win Column
Davey Grant

Suffers Submission Loss
Charles Jourdain

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Matt Frevola

Gets Dominated At UFC Vancouver
Matt Frevola

Kyle Nelson Dominates Matt Frevola
George Springer

Returns to Lineup for Game 6 of ALCS
CFB

Colorado State Fires Head Coach Jay Norvell After Four Seasons
CFB

Florida Fires Head Coach Billy Napier After Four Years
Chase Elliott

Can Chase Elliott Deliver Another Clutch Win to Make Championship 4?
William Byron

Seeks First Win at Talladega to Overcome Las Vegas Crash
Chase Briscoe

Likely to Finish Worse Than he Starts
Kyle Larson

Despite No Wins on Drafting Tracks, Kyle Larson is Improving
Tyler Reddick

Despite Winning at Talladega, Tyler Reddick's Drafting Record Is Not So Hot
Ross Chastain

Poor Qualifying Makes him a Strong DFS Option at Talladega
Chris Buescher

Excellent Crash Avoidance Could Reap Dividends at Talladega
Ty Gibbs

If Ty Gibbs' Team Executes a Better Strategy, he Could Win at Talladega
Daniel Suarez

Hopes for Clutch Talladega Win to Remain in the NASCAR Cup Series
Josh Berry

Might Contend at Talladega
Austin Dillon

Doesn't Lead Enough at Talladega to Contend for Wins
Brendan Donovan

Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery
George Springer

Exits Game 5 Early After HBP on his Knee
Jackson Chourio

Back in Game 4 Lineup Against Dodgers
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Has Bone Spurs Removed From his Elbow
Brendan Allen

Set For UFC Vancouver Main Event
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder A Favorite At UFC Vancouver
Mike Malott

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Kevin Holland

Set For UFC Vancouver Co-Main Event
Aiemann Zahabi

Looks For His Seventh Consecutive Win
Marlon Vera

Returns At UFC Vancouver
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Manon Fiorot

Looks To Bounce Back
Aoriqileng

Aori Aoriqileng Looks To Rebound
CFB

Curt Cignetti Signs Eight-Year, $11.6 Million Extension With Indiana
Carlos Rodón

Carlos Rodon Unlikely to Be Ready for Opening Day After Elbow Surgery
Anthony Santander

Removed From ALCS Roster With Back Injury
Jackson Chourio

Aggravates Hamstring, Pulled Early in Game 3 of NLCS

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP