It's Andrew Bogut week here on NBA.com Australia! Throughout the week we'll feature stories celebrating the career of one of the greatest Australian basketball players in NBA history. From a historic NBA draft day to his role in crafting a Golden State dynasty to his profound impact on the Australian national team, we'll examine Bogut through every lens to offer up perspective on what makes him arguably the greatest Aussie hooper ever.
To this point, Andrew Bogut is the most successful Australian exported athlete there ever was.
And while Ben Simmons and to a lesser extent tennis star Nick Kyrgios provide the swagger that the younger generation of sports fans crave, Bogut was the first to really shine a spotlight on the Australian athlete outside of the Southern Hemisphere.
MORE: The everlasting legacy of Andrew Bogut
Leading into the 2005 NBA Draft it really was a two-horse race for who would be selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks between Bogut and North Carolina stand out Marvin Williams.
“I want to be No. 1,” Bogut said ahead of the draft. “I want to win.
"I want to be the No. 1 pick. I’m a competitor in that sense and if I do something I want to be No. 1 or I want to win. So, that’s basically the bottom line.”
It was that brashness that made Bogut attractive to NBA teams and the Bucks — who were set to take him — didn't really hide their admiration for the Aussie. So much so that even Williams knew Bogut would end up going first overall.
“It does seem like Milwaukee is heading toward Bogut a little bit,” Williams said ahead of the draft. “But I don’t blame them. Andrew’s a great player. He’ll be good for Milwaukee.”
The fit made sense for the Bucks who were building around Michael Redd and T.J. Ford on the perimeter and needed to address a gaping hole in the middle. At that time in the NBA you really couldn't pass up on a 7-footer who could do more than just walk and chew gum.
The scouts at the time loved Bogut.
"Skill-wise, Bogut is one of the most fundamentally sound players you'll find in all of college basketball. He possesses extremely solid footwork in the post, on both offence and defence. He is smart, strong, very coordinated, aggressive and not soft in the least bit when he's posting up his man in the paint," Draft Express said of Bogut in June of 2005.
"McHale-esque footwork on the block."
"Quite possibly the top player of his class…Has an NBA-ready game…Exceptional fundamentals…Always plays with a high level of intensity…Devastating drop-step…Can shoot jump-hook with either hand…McHale-esque footwork on the block…," NBADraft.net said the Aussie in February of 2005.
Bogut's footwork and post play was the highlight much of his final year in college where he averaged 20.4 points, 12.2 rebounds shooting 62 percent from the field. But it was his passing and defence that set him apart in the NBA.
Bogut averaged 2.3 assists in his final year at Utah, but the scouts had seen enough of his passing ability to highlight it heading into the draft.
"If you double him, he'll use his outstanding court vision and passing ability to find the open man on the wing and pick apart the defence (Bogut is able to see and execute passes that most NCAA PG's aren't able to)," Draft Express said of Bogut.
"Unbelievable passer out of the double/triple-team…Stellar court vision…," NBADraft.net would add.
Bogut exhibited his adept passing in his rookie season averaging 2.3 assists per game as a center. He bumped that average up to 3.5 per game in the playoff that year. Bogut came into the league as a scorer, but his true value ended up being as a playmaker which would shine the brightest as part of the free-flowing Warriors' offence alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson later in his career.
"Bogut is a threat in the paint, but he's equally dangerous in the high post. He has a very nice shooting stroke with a high release that makes it very hard to block, and range all the way out to the three-point line. His mid-range game is quite solid, he can put the ball on the floor and take it all the way to the basket, find the open man with the drive and dish, or pull up and nail the 14 footer," Draft Express would say, which was right on the money.
Bogut's defence was also quickly appreciated in the league. After averaging 1.9 blocks per game in his last year in the NCAA, he carried over his stinginess at the rim to the pros finishing second on the Bucks in total blocks behind Jamaal Magloire and ahead of the bouncy Dan Gadzuric.
The Bucks had finished second to last in defensive rating the year before they drafted Bogut. In his last three seasons in Milwaukee, the Bucks were a top-five defensive team.
"Good one-on-one defender…Isn't intimidated by anyone (in fact, he does most of the intimidating)…Condor wingspan…Improving on his help defence, which accounts for his higher shot-blocking numbers…A coach’s dream…," NBADraft.net would say of Bogut.
We now know how Bogut's career turned out. One league's best defensive players at his peak, and a swiss army knife on offence that could've fit into almost any system.
The scouts were right about Bogut and even though Chris Paul turned into one of the greatest point guards of all-time, Bogut was still the right choice for the Milwaukee Bucks at first overall.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
