CLEVELAND — When the Nets decided to bring Bojan Bogdanovic over from Europe last summer, they had high hopes the 25-year-old swingman could quickly turn into a key piece of the team's rotation.
But, as always is the case with players coming over from Europe, both sides weren't sure exactly how things would play out.
"I didn't know," Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. "He showed he was a talent over there, but it is a totally different game. He's coming to a different environment and trying to adapt. … I just wanted him to be able to play."
After an up-and-down first half of the season, Bogdanovic has done just that since the All-Star break, looking like a piece the Nets can count on over the next couple seasons as they try to retool their roster.
Bogdanovic had one of his best games of the season in Monday's win over the Timberwolves, finishing with 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting in 27 minutes, something the team will hope he can carry over to Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
The way Bogdanovic played against Minnesota was a continuation of what has been a strong month for the Croatian National Team star, as he has now scored double-figures in five of the last eight games, and is averaging 10.4 points per game this month.
He attributes the change to regaining his confidence after losing his starting spot to Sergey Karasev in early December and falling almost completely out of the rotation.
"It's about confidence," Bogdanovic said. "I lost a little bit of confidence when I lost my minutes, and I started to play again and my confidence came back.
"Now my teammates are looking more for me and for my shot because they know I'm playing better than before."
The difference has been notable. Earlier in the season, he admitted that, at times, he would struggle with knowing what role he should try and fill on this team. After having been a star for Turkish league power Fenerbahce Ulker in Istanbul the past three years, Bogdanovic at times was the fifth option on the court in the early going this season.
But after moving into the reserve role he's in now, Bogdanovic has begun to thrive, looking for his offense and not hesitating to pull the trigger whenever he has an open look from deep.
"He started off the season red hot, then went through some shooting struggles and confidence struggles before kind of hitting that rookie wall," Deron Williams said. "But now he's figuring things out, and he's been playing great basketball."
Still, despite having one of his better stretches of his season the past few weeks, Bogdanovic thinks both he and the Nets can be better over the final few weeks.
"I am happy because I have the minutes, but I know that I used to play much better than I'm playing," Bogdanovic said. "As a team, I think we are a playoff team, so we have games left and we still have the chance to go to the playoffs."
There's at least a chance the Nets could catch a break when they face the Cavaliers Wednesday, as both LeBron James and Kevin Love are banged up.
James said he was a game-time decision before Monday's loss to the Heat because of a knee injury, then went out and played 35 minutes. After the game, he told reporters "health and chemistry," are the most important things to him over the final month of the season.
Love, meanwhile, has sat out the past two games, and his status for Wednesday's game is unclear. The team has insisted Love was resting and is healthy, but he has dealt with back spasms at various points this season.
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