By RUSSELL BENNETT
TO say Andrew Bogut has come a long way since practising his ball skills as a youngster at his family’s Endeavour Hills home is arguably the biggest understatement in world sport at the moment.
The milestones and records just continue to tumble for the Golden State Warriors’ defensive anchor, who passed Luc Longley’s record during the week for the most NBA games played by an Australian.
Following the Warriors’ 107-92 loss on Sunday at the hands of Western Conference rivals and reigning NBA champs, the San Antonio Spurs, Bogut’s games tally now sits at 569 – two clear of Luc Longley, who won three consecutive championships from 1996 to 1998 as a pivotal member of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
And Bogut, who was the first overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2005 draft, is still only 30-years-old. He has battled through a series of freakish injuries over his career to date but he has still played at least 65 games (of a possible 82 regular season games) in six seasons so far. This season is set to become the seventh.
Bogut, who measures in at 213 centimetres and 118 kilograms, or 7’0” and 260lbs in the old scale, is regarded by many as one of the best passing big men of his generation.
He earned high praise earlier in the season from some of the most respected basketball pundits in the United States, who say that his increased role in Golden State under first-year coach Steve Kerr (a former team-mate of Longley’s) is a key factor behind the team’s success. The Warriors currently sit atop the brutally tough Western Conference with 63 wins and just 14 losses from their 77 games so far this season.
Kirk Goldsberry, in an early-season article for the acclaimed ‘Grantland’ website started by ESPN journalist Bill Simmons, described just how enamoured Kerr is with Bogut’s passing game in particular.
“In the pre-season, Kerr lauded Andrew Bogut’s abilities as a passer and discussed how Bogut will help the new-look offense,” Goldsberry said, referring to an NBA.com story by Antonio Gonzalez in which Kerr was quoted as saying: “Andrew’s one of the best passing centres in the league. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen, and so for us to get him the ball on the elbows as a dribble-handoff guy, backdoor-pass guy, that will be emphasised.”
Golden State, led by MVP candidate Stephen Curry, will likely face either Russell Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder, or Anthony Davis’ New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of this season’s playoffs.
