Brooklyn Nets: Bojan Bogdanovic Outplaying Sean Kilpatrick Offensively
Mar 15, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) celebrates his basket with guard Sean Kilpatrick (6) during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets won 131-114. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
This year, Sean Kilpatrick has gotten all the love on the Brooklyn Nets. However, the gap between him and Bojan Bogdanovic is much smaller than you may think.
When examining the (few) positives that have come from this year’s Nets season, one of the first to come to mind has to be the outbreak of Sean Kilpatrick. And rightfully so.
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Skilpatrick, as the fans and Ian Eagle call him, has not only been one of the most productive Nets players this season, but he has also been a fan favorite. His rise to relevancy has even helped him become a celebrity.
The point is, Sean Kilpatrick is getting all the attention and recognition, and then some when it comes to the Nets. Arguably, he’s gotten more attention and recognition than Mr. Nets himself, Brook Lopez.
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So certainly, with all this being said, Sean Kilpatrick has had a better season to date than fellow shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic, right?
When you take a look at the numbers – not necessarily.
Nov 4, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) looks to pass against Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) in the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Hornets win 99-95. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
Statistical Comparison
As some of you may have seen, I ran a basic poll on Twitter the other day with both players’ statistics from this season. To get a fair result, I named one “Player A,” and the other “Player B.” This way, there would be no bias in the choice.
Note: The statistics on the poll were before the Nets played the Knicks last Wednesday night.
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Player A is Kilpatrick. Player B is Bogdanovic.
As you can see, Bogdanovic/Player B received 75 percent of the votes. Kilpatrick/Player A received 25 percent of the votes.
This result is a perfect example of why Kilpatrick could be getting more credit than he deserves – or maybe it’s that Bogdanovic isn’t getting enough.
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Nonetheless, the gap between the two players is closer than people probably think.
Of course, this poll can’t possibly include all statistics, so there is more to examine. To take a deeper look, let’s look at some of their other stats.
Based on these stat categories (all stats are per game):
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Again, there are still so many more statistics to compare, including defensive stats, and player efficiency rating.
Bogdanovic actually has a better PER than Kilpatrick (13.2 vs. Kilpatrick’s 12.8), but Bogdanovic also severely struggles on defense. With that being said, a case can still be made for Kilpatrick. But based on these offensive statistics, it seems that Bogdanovic has the edge so far this season, and the results of the poll agree with me.
Dec 5, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard sean Kilpatrick (6) dribbles the ball while being defended by Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) during the second half at Barclays Center. The Wizards won 118-113. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Conclusion
An argument can be made for either player on who is having the better season, but the offensive statistics point to Bogdanovic.
Regardless, the fact of the matter is that it’s not necessarily Kilpatrick, which is what everyone seems to believe.
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Yes, Kilpatrick is certainly having a breakout year after starting the season off the bench. It’s clear that he’s become a fan favorite and that he is loved in Brooklyn. But it also seems clear that Bogdanovic is not loved in Brooklyn, and that he is highly criticized.
These statistics prove that the gap between these two players is a lot closer than people think. Whether Kilpatrick is getting too much credit or Bogdanovic is not getting enough, Nets fans need to realize that these two players have similar production and are both contributing in similar ways.
We’ll see how the season ends, but don’t let your assumptions on these two players fool you.
