Getty Andrew Bogut of the Kings controls the ball during game two of the NBL Semi Final series between the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.
According to Fantasy Labs NBA, center Andrew Bogut will sign with the Golden State Warriors. He has most recently played with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League. His most recent stint in the NBA was with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017-18.
This is a change of course for Bogut, as he said he was committed to Australian basketball back in April 2018.
Before anyone asks, no NBA outs, no European outs. I’m committed to being here for two years … it will retire me from the NBA, I’m happy to say that today.
The former No. 1 draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks has absorbed several injuries over his 14-year career. This includes a broken tibia, dislocated elbow, sprained wrist and broken hand, just to name a few.
During his time with the Kings this season, he has averaged a double-double 11.4 points and 11.6 rebounds a game. He only saw 23 games last season with the Lakers, mustering just 1.6 points and 3.4 boards a game.
Here’s the updated roster outlook for Golden State with 19 games left until the NBA playoffs.
Andrew Bogut Impact on Golden State Roster
During his last full season in Golden State in 2015-16, Bogut made key contributions that led to yet another Finals appearance. He notched a pair of double-doubles, including a 15-point, 14-rebound effort in an elimination game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that helped spark a series comeback for the Western Conference title.
He also played a key role as the defensive centerpiece inside. This effect was most felt after he went out with a knee injury in Game 5 against Cleveland. The Cavaliers scored over 110 points twice in the final 3 games to seize the NBA Championship.
Flash forward to this year, and the Warriors need some help inside. Reserve power forward Kevon Looney has sat recently with a pelvic soreness, forcing too many minutes out of Draymond Green. He played 35 minutes in a 120-117 victory at Philadelphia on Saturday, as well as 39 minutes the game before in a loss to the Magic. He averages just over 31 minutes a game, meaning a much-increased workload.
Head coach Steve Kerr is also probably looking to provide a defensive alternative to DeMarcus Cousins, who he said back in January requires the Warriors to make “defensive adjustments.”
“We’ll be much better suited to guard some of the big, huge centers,” the coach says. “Guys like (Oklahoma City center) Steven Adams and (Utah’s) Rudy Gobert, (Portland’s Jusuf) Nurkic. We’ve been pretty small against those guys and that pose a big threat.
“The flip side of that is (Cousins has to) guard the perimeter. We’ll have to play around defensively to figure out how we want to guard the pick-and-roll.”
Overall, the Warriors are ceding 112 points per game. The offense is still scorching the nets at 118 per, which has helped lead Golden State to a 44-19 record and first place in the West.
Bogut has a litany of defensive accolades to his resume. He was the NBA blocks leader in 2011, made the all-defense second-team in 2015 and just came off a NBL Defensive Player of the Year award this past year in Australia.