NEW YORK (NBA) - It's not always easy to make the transition from Europe to the NBA. Beyond the cultural shock, there are adjustments to be made in relation to the length of the season, playing under different rules, games being longer and played at a different pace.

Some players seem to adapt faster than others. Croatia's Bojan Bogdanovic is making a strong case to be considered one of the fast learners.

After putting on some solid performances for his national team at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain - where his 21.1 points per game ranked him as the third highest scorer - the 25-year-old hasn't taken long to show his talent in the biggest league in the world.

Signed last July by the Brooklyn Nets, it didn't take Bogdanovic long to gain the trust of his coach Lionel Hollins and earn a lot of playing time (28.5 minutes per game).

He has averaged 9.1 points and 3 rebounds per game through 22 games so far in the 2014-15 season.

Following in the footsteps of former Nets and Croatian legend Drazen Petrovic, the 2.00m shooting guard is also expected to help return the national team to a high level of competitiveness, to where it can battle for podium finishes and challenge for medals on a regular basis - something it hasn't done since the mid-1990s.

While they were beaten by France in the Round of 16 at Spain 2014, the Croats showed they have the potential to be a tough opponent for years to come.

Drawn in Group C at EuroBasket 2015, alongside the Netherlands, Greece, Slovenia, F.Y.R. of Macedonia (MKD) and Georgia, the team coached by Jasmin Repesa will be one to follow at next year’s continental tournament as they have the opportunity to play in Zagreb during the first round of the competition.

FIBA.com caught up with Bogdanovic to talk about his rookie season in the NBA, reflect on the experience that was the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and look ahead to next year's Eurobasket.

FIBA: Individually you've had a great start to your rookie season. How do you feel it's gone?
Bogdanovic: I am happy with the way I have been playing so far. I feel that I am being productive every time I get on the court. I have my coach's support and my teammates are helping me a lot, which is very important. My main goal is to help the team win games. It usually takes some weeks or months for a foreign player to get used to the NBA's way of playing. But for me, I already feel comfortable in this league. I know that I can still improve and be a better player, but it is a good start so far. I just need to keep working hard.

FIBA: As a team though, you have struggled, with 10 wins and 12 losses.
Bogdanovic: We are a bit disappointed with our start to the season. We can play better than how we have been doing so far. We have one of the most talented rosters of the league and we need to gain confidence by starting some winning streaks in order to show how competitive we can be. The coach is new and the roster has changed a lot since last season so it takes time to find the best chemistry.

FIBA: You were Croatia's leader at the FIBA Basketball World Cup over the summer. How do you feel the team performed?
Bogdanovic: We had great expectations after finishing fourth at EuroBasket 2013. We had an interesting Group Phase but unfortunately we lost against France, one of the best teams in the world, in the Round of 16. But we learned a lot during this tournament. We have a lot of young players and we gained experience for future competitions. We want to do much better at EuroBasket 2015.

Playing at home in front of our fans is going to be crazy. - Bogdanovic

FIBA: How do you feel about playing at home in the first round of the competition?
Bogdanovic: It is going to be a good challenge for us. It will be tough for our opponents to beat us (in Zagreb). I am very happy because it is going to be my first competition at home. We want to make our compatriots proud and it is going to be a pleasure to play at home.

FIBA: You will open your campaign against Slovenia, Greece, F.Y.R. of Macedonia (MKD), the Netherlands and Georgia.
Bogdanovic: It is great to start a competition being in a very competitive group. Slovenia and Greece are among the best teams in Europe and have some very good players in the NBA. MKD has been playing well in the last few years. The Netherlands and Georgia are going to compete at their best level so we need to play at our highest level in order to go to the next round. We want to go far in the tournament and fight for a medal.

FIBA