Bogdan Bogdanovic Goes Bonkers with 20 Points In The Olympics Semifinal Round As Serbia Loses To USA, 95-91

Bogdanovic was one of the primary offensive options for Serbia and delivered a masterclass.

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Serbia shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) reacts after making a shot against South Sudan shooting guard Peter Jok (14) in the fourth quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Down in Atlanta, Hawks fans are very familiar with how good Bogdan Bogdanovic has been. Today, the world got to see it.

The Serbian team gave USA everything it could handle and more - Bogdanovic was a massive part of that. He scored 20 points, dished 3 assists and pulled down 4 rebounds, stretching the USA defense with his shooting. The sharpshooter knocked down only three of his ten three-pointer attempts, but practically every single one of them seemed to come in the biggest spots. One thing that stood out is how the USA really struggled to keep him in front of them. Whenever Bogdanovic was matched up against Embiid, he did a great job of using his quickness and agility to give the former MVP problems.

He was also huge for the Serbia team as a source of energy and intensity. He clearly gave it his all on both ends of the floor and made sure to let the USA team know when he made them look silly. I think hitting the Carmelo Anthony celebration in front of Anthony speaks for itself. He also got into it with LeBron James before the end of the first half.

Bogdan Bogdanovic talkin’ to Carmelo Anthony after the three 🗣pic.twitter.com/iU384iQKRq

— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) August 8, 2024

Although Serbia's run in the Olympics is over, Hawks fans should be very excited about how well Bogdanovic has performed throughout the entire tournament. He was a critical part of Serbia's run to the semifinals, dropping 17 points, six assists and five rebounds against Australia in their comeback 95-90 win.

In terms of what this means for the 2024-25 Hawks, it should only serve to highlight that Bogdanovic is one of the best bench players in the NBA. His ability to provide instant offense and stretch defenses is incredibly valuable. Playing off of Trae Young and an improved Jalen Johnson will only lead to more opportunities for him - he is incredible at capitalizing on the space he is given. It will be interesting to see if he can reach a new level this year in Atlanta with another healthy season and more spacing. Young, Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher all project to be legitimate threats from three-point range. Putting Bogdanovic in that lineup could be devestating for defenses to handle.

I also think it will be interesting to see how the Hawks handle the minutes allocation between him and Dyson Daniels. Daniels has been the better defender throughout the past two years, but I thought Bogdanovic looked fairly solid on defense against Australia and the USA. If Bogdanovic can be a positive on defense, then it will be very hard to place Daniels in the starting lineup over him.

Although the Hawks no longer have any players remaining in the Olympics, it was overall a great tournament for Atlanta. Daniels and Bogdanovic both played well for their respective teams and both look to have important roles for the 2024-25 Hawks.