It's Time to Give Andrew Bogut Some Credit

When the average fan thinks about the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson get almost all of the recognition as the Splash Brothers. Andrew Bogut does a lion's share of the work, but his health gets most of the headlines.

Golden State has surprised a lot of people this season with its open style of play, small lineups and domination of several statistical categories. Per NBA.com/stats, the Warriors lead the Western Conference in points per game and defensive rating.

Bogut, with all the work he does in the trenches, deserves more credit for Golden State's dominance on both sides of the ball.

The Building Block of the Franchise Turnaround

He was the key building block of the 2012 trade that sent fan-favorite Monta Ellis out of the building and led to a rather rowdy jersey retirement celebration for Warriors great, Chris Mullin.

Fans were miffed that the new owners, headed by Joe Lacob, traded the scoring-machine Ellis for a player who was injured for the remainder of that season. Like many campaigns with the previous owner, Chris Cohan, it looked like another white flag had been raised.

Fast forward three years with the dominant effort versus the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs in the 2012-13 playoffs and the disappointing result (versus the Clippers) sans Bogut last season, and this team knows how important the big Aussie is to its quest for a first title in 40 years.

Coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors brass know how important Bogut is as a rim protector. Per NBA.com/stats, Bogut is doing a great job limiting the success of shooters in his vicinity, by giving up only 43.3 percent within six feet of the basket.

Jason Kidd, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, is in agreement.

Per Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:

The True Offensive Facilitator

Bogut is not the player who highlights the box score with offensive production, but he makes a huge impact for everyone on the court. His screen-setting ability is arguably second to none.

The impact of his screens gives either Curry or Thompson that extra step to get open for a perimeter shot, make a move toward the basket or draw out another defender on the switch.

As you can see from the video below, Bogut starts in his normal position at the top of the arc, as he passes to Curry and sets the screen. He then rolls off toward the basket, where he is wide open for the slam.

The screens lead to a lot of open looks and a higher percentage of points with him on the floor. He is currently third in average plus-minus at plus-16.

Another weapon that Bogut possesses is his handle. Unlike a significant number of big men, he can dribble when necessary, which lets the remainder of his teammates find open spots on the floor.

As you can see from the highlights, the big Aussie can get around the court with style.

With dribbling comes passing, and his knack for finding breaking teammates is very helpful to the Kerr motion offense.

Bogut can draw out the big man with his handle. He can also find a frontcourt player driving to the rim or kick it back for an open three-point shot.

He is averaging a career-high 2.6 dimes per game. The positioning at the top of the arc helps him get a macro-level view of the court before the start of each possession.

He occasionally gets easy assists from the handoff or after he slides down into his post spot.

Here are some examples of Bogut’s smooth passing ability for a big man.

He has also improved his free-throw shooting, a key factor in being able to stay in the game in crunch time. Bogut is shooting 55.3 percent from the charity stripe, which is his highest as a Warrior.


The Rim Protector

Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson started a little bit of controversy in his first game back at Oracle as a commentator for ESPN during Golden State's 112-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 9.

Jackson didn’t respect the value of Bogut playing the 5:

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"To me, a rim protector is overrated in this league," Jackson said on the telecast. "You look at the Warriors. No Andrew Bogut, their defense stays or even improves because of the identity, because of what they force you to do."

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The stats tell a completely different story.

Per NBA.com/stats, when Bogut is on the floor, the Warriors have a defensive rating of 93.5. With him on the bench, that rating rises to 99.6, a difference of six points per 100 possessions.

His presence definitely intimidates opponents with his blocking (1.7 per game) and rebounding ability (he pulls down 41.5 percent of contested rebounds, per NBA.com/stats). He also is the defensive leader by barking out orders and positioning teammates for better success.

Bottom line, the Warriors are 42-7 when he steps on the court, racking up a .854 winning percentage. Without him, the team is just 9-5.

In this video, Bogut has to defend after a turnover. He positions himself perfectly, which sets up for a titanic block in the nail-biting 98-97 win over the Orlando Magic on Dec. 2.

As previously outlined, the Warriors are not the same team without him in the lineup. Therefore, Bogut will get more rest and/or games off during the final 20 contests of the season.

Resting him will give Kerr a chance to see how he can combat potential bench problems or adjust to Bogut having foul trouble. Festus Ezeli, the true backup center, needs to get the opportunity to develop and get comfortable before the playoffs start.

Lacob and company should feel confident that the initial investment is paying off. Having a healthy Bogut, who can impact both sides of the ball, will be essential to fulfilling the championship dream.

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