Detroit Pistons have desperately needed Bojan Bogdanovic back. That's close to a reality.
Monty Williams was running a five-on-five drill during the Detroit Pistons’ practice on Wednesday. Bojan Bogdanovic, during his first day back, called an audible.
“It was funny, today we had a segment on five-on-five and I was drawing up a play, and he was like ‘Coach, can I do this?’ I said, ‘You do whatever you want,’” Williams said. “Because I know he’s been in so many situations. He sees the game differently. I thought the guys had a jolt of energy today, just because he was on the floor.”
The 34-year-old sharpshooter is finally close to making his season debut. He missed most of training camp, all of preseason and the Pistons’ first 15 games with a right calf strain, but the team announced Tuesday that he’s been cleared for full-basketball contact. Bogdanovic was a full participant in practice Wednesday, and was spotted afterward shooting 3-pointers.
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He has been missed. Last season was among his best, as he averaged a career-high 21.6 points as Detroit's lead option in Cade Cunningham’s stead, shooting 48.8% overall and 41.1% from 3. Williams expected Bogdanovic to be a starter during preseason, taking a significant offensive load off of Cunningham’s plate.
It’s unclear if he’ll make his debut against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, and if so, if he’ll immediately join the starting lineup. But his outside shooting — and willingness to launch — will help a Pistons team that has the NBA’s fifth-worse offensive rating at 109.1, and last in 3-point attempts per game at 29.2.
Detroit’s offense has struggled with turnovers and stagnant stretches that have been costly late in games. Williams is hopeful that beyond his outside shooting, Bogdanovic will also give the team a lift as a ballhandler and defender.
The Pistons — losers of 12 consecutive games — need all the help they can get.
“Most people in the NBA say they fear what he can do from a shooting perspective and with the ball, all of that,” Williams said. “And then he’s not a guy that doesn’t compete on the defensive end. That was the thing that I noticed when he was in Utah. I was like, ‘Man, this guy, in the playoffs, he’s guarding Luka (Doncic) full court. And we were playing Dallas the next round and they had beaten Utah, and that was what I remembered was Bogey guarding Luka full court.
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“So we’ll be grateful to get him back on the floor. We’ve got to obviously allow for him to ramp up. It’s not something that’s going to happen quickly. We hope to get him back quickly, but we have to take our time.”
Even from the sideline, Bogdanovic has been impactful. Isaiah Livers, who made his season debut on Monday, referred to him as his “rehab buddy” and expects him to make an impact in a “big way.” He’s often spotted on the sideline with an arm around one of Detroit’s young players, offering feedback. And he has the trust of the coaching staff — hence his ability to tweak Williams’ play-calling during practice.
“He encourages them, but he’s also really good to have when guys are like, repeating mistakes,” Williams said. “He’ll be the one who walks over there and says, ‘No man. Coach is right, this is what you have to do.’ He does it in a way that is respectful. The guys love him. They know his intentions are great. But he’s also the same guy that will put his arm around Ausar (Thompson) when he’s struggling. I think anybody in our gym worth their salt knows his background and what he’s done on the floor, and they just respect it.”
Jalen Duren, who has missed four games in a row while dealing with ankle soreness, also practiced fully on Wednesday. Williams said he’ll likely have to adjust his lineups to accommodate the 20-year-old big man as he eases back into action.
“It’s a tough deal because in order to ramp him up properly, we may have to change the rotation a little bit so we can end games with him, because his decision-making, his presence at the rim, his physicality is really important to the team,” Williams said. “It’s something that I’m going to talk to coach (Stephen) Silas about. But I think I have an idea of what I want to do. I’m just not going to reveal it yet.”
The Pistons, finally, are inching toward full health after being battered by injuries in the early weeks of the season. Monte Morris is still at least six weeks away from his return, and there hasn’t been an update on how close Joe Harris is. But Williams — knock on wood — hopes that the team will finally enjoy the roster depth they anticipated would lift their floor this season.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We still have to go through the process of getting guys back into five-on-five shape. We hope to have those kinds of discussions in a respectful way here soon. As crazy as it sounds, I hate the losing but I’m grateful for everything we’ve been through, because I’ve seen guys play in situations that they probably wouldn’t play in. It’s going to benefit us as we go forward.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons sorely miss Bojan Bogdanovic, who's nearing return
