Dubs by the Digits: Andrew Bogut
Recently, we started a series of articles called “Dubs by the Digits.” These articles give fans a quick statistical breakdown on members of the Golden State Warriors.
The first article of this series was about Warriors backup point guard, Shaun Livingston, the second article of this series was about Warriors shooting guard/small forward, Brandon Rush, the third article in this series was about Warriors small forward/power forward, Draymond Green, and the most recent article in this series was about Warriors shooting guard/small forward Andre Iguodala.
The next Warriors player we’ll take a look at is center Andrew Bogut.
When the Warriors traded for Bogut back in 2012, many Warriors fans were upset. They didn’t want to see fan favorite Monta Ellis be traded, and Bogut had a history of being injury prone. In fact, he was injured at the time that the Warriors traded for him.
Live Feed
Thunderous Intentions
However, Ellis was never in the plans for the Warriors’ future. Many fans failed to see that the Warriors wouldn’t go anywhere with Ellis on their roster and that they already had a future superstar on the team: Stephen Curry. I digress though.
The point is that many Warriors fans didn’t know what to expect from Bogut when the Warriors acquired him. The Warriors had severely lacked a dominating inside presence for a long time, so would Bogut step up and prove to be that consistent center that the Warriors needed?
Now two years later, some fans might answer this question differently. Some would say no, because he’s missed significant time due to injury, including the 2014 postseason.
Some would say yes though, because when Bogut is starting and healthy, the Warriors are an elite team in the NBA. Their defense becomes top-notch and that allows them to compete with any team on any given night. Bogut was a significant reason why the Warriors, as a team, finished the 2013-2014 season tied for third in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage at 43.6.
His shot-blocking and shot-altering ability is unmatched, certainly to anyone on the Warriors but also to many centers in the NBA, with a few exceptions. Because of his ability to change shots at the rim, offenses have to adjust to this when he’s on the floor.
Bogut is also aggressive on defense. He knows when to help, he knows when to commit a hard foul, and he knows how to irritate opponents (for example, DeMarcus Cousins).
Now let’s look at a statistical breakdown for Bogut. This will help us prove his defensive prowess and will also highlight some other interesting aspects to his game. We will examine his best year, statistically, in the NBA (2009-2010) and his past two season with the Warriors.
Take a look:
| PTS | REB | AST | BLK | FG % | FT% | USG% | Off./Def. Rtg | Games(starts) | MIN | |
| 2009-2010 | 15.9 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 52 | 62.9 | 23.3 | 107/98 | 69 (69) | 32.3 |
| 2012-2013 | 5.8 | 7.7 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 45.1 | 50 | 13.4 | 103/100 | 32 (32) | 24.6 |
| Postseason | 7.2 | 10.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 58.2 | 34.8 | 13.5 | 107/100 | 12 (12) | 27.3 |
| 2013-2014 | 7.3 | 10 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 62.7 | 34.4 | 12.4 | 115/96 | 67 (67) | 26.4 |
-USG%: usage percentage is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor
-Offensive rating: points produced per 100 possessions
-Defensive rating: points allowed per 100 possessions
Bogut’s statistics back up the fact that he’s an elite center, defensively, based on his numbers in the block category and his defensive ratings. His statistics also show though that the Warriors might not be utilizing him in the best way possible.
More from Golden State Warriors
- Warriors unlikely to draft Anthony Edwards due to character concerns
- Warriors: September minicamp mimics NBA bubble
- Warriors: Eric Paschall named to NBA All-Rookie first team
- Warriors reportedly eyeing a wing in the 2020 NBA Draft
- Warriors: Is the team destined to trade its No. 2 overall draft pick?
Now, these statistics can be somewhat misleading, because one of the reasons why he had such a stellar year in 2009-2010 was because he was one of the top offensive options on the Milwaukee Bucks at the time. Now with the Warriors, his role is more on the defensive end, and he’s not needed as much on the offensive end, just like Iguodala.
Although he doesn’t need to be receiving as many touches on the Warriors as he did with the Bucks, he could still be utilized more effectively in the Warriors’ offense. His usage rating fell from 23.3 percent in his career year to just 13.4 percent in 2012-2013 and 12.4 percent in 2013-2014. He averaged a higher field goal percentage last season, but this was with a lower usage percentage.
Bogut said earlier in the offseason that he thinks he can do more offensively this upcoming season. If new head coach Steve Kerr decides to utilize Bogut’s offensive skills more, it could lead to a higher rate of efficiency for the Warriors’ offense as a whole, and it would add another element to their offense, which would make them harder to guard given the serious three-point shooting threats of Curry and Klay Thompson spreading the floor as well.