Sacramento Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic is an early favorite for Sixth Man of the Year

Sacramento Kings sixth man Bogdan Bogdanovic is making an early case to be this season’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

The Sacramento Kings appeared dead in the water after a woeful 0-5 start was compounded by the loss of two of their top talents in De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley. But the emergence of one Bogdan Bogdanovic has helped keep them afloat.

And not only are the Kings kept afloat, but they remain one of the hottest teams in the NBA with a 6-2 record over their past eight games. Those two losses came by a combined six points to the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors.

Many were rightfully worried when Fox went down. There are few players in the league who could match his speed and energy and it wasn’t as if there was an ideal replacement for him on the roster.

But Bogdanovic has stepped in and alleviated the loss more than anyone thought possible.

Veteran Cory Joseph has been inserted into the starting lineup in Fox’s absence and the 28-year-old has done an admirable job to this point. That included a career-high 14 assists in the Kings’ 120-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

But while Joseph has been solid, Bogdanovic has shined.

The Serbian native has played over 30 minutes in each of the four games that Fox has been out while serving as the first man off the bench. In those four games, Bogdanovic is averaging 21.5 points and 8.0 assists per game including a season-high 31 points in the Suns game.

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Bogdanovic has proved crucial to the Kings success as his versatility is something unmatched by really any other player on the roster. While still a proficient shooter on the wing, Bogdanovic has become ever more valuable for his play-making and facilitating abilities.

That’s where many assumed the Kings would lack the most with Fox sidelined but the man they call ‘Bogi’ has stepped up and matched some of Fox’s production.

Bogdanovic has always been an underrated passer and his court vision is not typically something that gets mentioned when talking about the strengths of his game. But Bogdanovic is more than just a dead-eye shooter on the wing.

He’s a versatile puzzle piece capable of playing anywhere from small forward to point guard. And with Fox out, they’ve needed more of the latter from him.

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It’s still early in the season, but Bogdanovic is making quite the case to be considered for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. His primary competition, two-time defending champion Lou Williams, is off to an equally fast start with the Los Angeles Clippers.

But Bogdanovic does have the edge as a much more proficient outside shooter and can certainly keep his assist numbers up if he’s asked to.

With Fox expected to be out for a considerable amount of time, Bogdanovic should be given ample opportunities to continue to fill up the stat sheet. And the Kings will certainly need him to keep things up too.

It’s silly to think that the Kings are a better team without Fox even given their recent success. But his absence has allowed players such as Bogdanovic to demonstrate their full range of capabilities — something not always seen with Fox commanding the offense.

The Kings will still eagerly await the return of their star point guard, but in the meantime, they won’t hesitate to enjoy Bogdanovic’s success.