NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Centers
By Shane Young
14. Andrew Bogut — Golden State Warriors
Do we all remember how threatening Bogut used to be with the long, dangling hair, before the heartbreaking arm snap in Milwaukee?
Mark Jackson and the Warriors loved to believe they had the same type of player, and they would be halfway correct. Bogut may not have been as imposing on defense as he was during his prime, but still at 29 years old, Bogut was part of the reason Golden State kept a top five defense for majority of the season.
But, similar to his first year in the Bay Area, health did not play on his side. It seems as if it’s always the case with big men that are significant needs to a team — they always go down at inconvenient times.
Right after a meeting against Portland in April, Bogut was diagnosed with broken ribs, and missed the last two games of the season, and ultimately the first round series of the playoffs. Thanks to Bogut’s setback, it happened to be the first and last series Golden State would play in the postseason.
It’s incredibly hard to find a center that’s more helpful on defense, as only Larry Sanders, Kevin Garnett, and Marc Gasol topped Bogut in Defensive Real Plus-Minus last season. Bogut’s +5.16 rating was even greater than Dwight Howard’s.
Steve Kerr may be coming along to rejuvenate the offense that Jackson thought he mastered, but he’ll find out quick enough that this team’s postseason success isn’t predicated on that. It’s on Bogut, David Lee, and Draymond Green, and what they can contribute defensively.