WIth the 27th pick in last June’s NBA Draft, the Suns selected Serbian shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. Rather than join Phoenix this season, the 22-year-old played for the Turkish squad Fenerbahce Ulker, who compete in the most competitive league outside of the NBA, the Euroleague. And, for the second year in a row, Bogdanovic has been named that league’s Rising Star, joining current Chicago Bull Nikola Mirotic as the only players to ever win that award twice.
In 27 Euroleague games, Bogdanovic average 10.7 points per game, including almost two 3-pointers per contest (hitting them at a 35.7% clip). Standing 6’6″, with a close to 7-foot wingspan, the youngster is capable of playing both guard positions, and with the Suns in desperate need of outside shooting and an injection of talent at the shooting guard position, Bogdanovic would be a perfect fit. Alas, he isn’t able to opt out of his Fenerbahce contract until the end of next season. Sigh.