Andrew Bogut is a Key Piece in Golden State's Success

Former Utah center Andrew Bogut may not get the press that his Golden State Warrior teammates NBA MVP Steph Curry and Klay Thompson get, but he has made important contributions to help the Warriors reach their first NBA Finals since 1975. With scorers like Curry and Thompson, Bogut does not need to put up a ton of points. Where he has excelled at for the Warriors is as a low-post presence.

Bogut had a phenomenal sophomore season at Utah in 2004-05, when he averaged 20.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game, leading to him winning the Naismith and Wooden Awards. Prior to this season, 2005 with Bogut was the last time Utah made the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament He declared early was selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2005 NBA Draft. Injuries have slowed his NBA career; only twice has Bogut played in at least 70 NBA games in a season. Partly due to the injuries, Bogut has never quite lived up the the hype of being a top pick, but he has settled into being a nice role player for the Western Conference Champion Golden State Warriors.

Bogut has averaged almost 2.0 blocks per game this post season for the Warriors (roughly a third of the team's total). He has recorded multiple blocks in eight of Golden State's playoff games, and there have been only three games where he did not have at least one blocked shot. Bogut along with Draymond Green are the two primary rebounders for the Warriors, with Bogut averaging 8.6 rebounds per game this post season. The big man from Australia has recorded double digit rebounds in five playoff games.

Bleacher Report calls Golden State the "Complete Package," a point that is easy to argue given that Golden State is the first team since the 1980-91 Philadelphia 76ers to lead the NBA in field goal percentage and field goal defense. They are strong on both ends of the court. Bogut may not be the flashiest player or the best player on Golden State, but his style of play at the five position is a perfect fit for the Warriors and has helped them to a 12-3 record in the post season and 67 regular season wins (the most in the NBA). The Warriors likely would not have made their first NBA Final's appearance in 39 years without the big man from Utah.