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What would the addition of Andrew Bogut mean for the Warriors?
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Steve Aschburner: Bogut is a solid defender and great screen-setter, always welcome in Golden State’s brand of offense. He also is a cerebral player and deft passer they’ll welcome back into the attack. And frankly, given the hiccups the Warriors have had lately, he’ll be a nice touchstone mentally, and friendly face in the locker room, to their first championship team in 2015 and the 73-9 romp that followed. Remember, he suffered a knee injury in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals; the Warriors were 15-7 in the playoffs games in which he played that spring, a haunting 0-2 once he went out.
Shaun Powell: The addition would bring … virtually nothing. No offense to the big fella, but most of the minutes are taken in the rotation, unless DeMarcus Cousins suffers an injury. Also, we’re not sure how much Bogut has left on the NBA level — being a force in Australia isn’t the same. All told, he’s good to have around and if nothing else will serve as a voice, with an accent, in the locker room.
John Schuhmann: He’s another option at center, and we shouldn’t be surprised if he gets meaningful minutes in the postseason. He should be more mobile than DeMarcus Cousins, who’s had obvious issues defending in space and will be targeted by the offense of every Warriors opponent in the playoffs. Cousins is, by far, the better offensive player. But when you have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant on the floor, the better defender will often be the better fit. Since Cousins’ first game, the Warriors have been outscored by 0.9 points per 100 possessions in 152 minutes with all five stars on the floor, but are a plus-16.0 per 100 in 105 minutes with the other four guys on the floor without Cousins. Down the stretch of close games, the fifth guy on the floor will most likely be Andre Iguodala (with Draymond Green at center) instead of either Cousins or Bogut.
Sekou Smith: Andrew Bogut rejoining the Warriors hints at a throwback move for the Warriors in some respects, given his history with the championship Warriors pre-Kevin Durant. It also makes me wonder what it says about their big man depth — and perhaps more importantly, what they think they’ll get out of Cousins this season — and whether or not there are internal concerns. They’ve won titles without relying heavily on their bigs, though Bogut, Festus Ezeli, JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia have all played important roles at that spot in recent seasons. If Bogut looks as good as some have suggested after his MVP and Defensive Player of the Year season in the Australian Basketball League, the Warriors could be adding the ideal insurance policy for their three-peat campaign. But I’ll wait until I see Bogut back in that Warriors uniform before making any lasting judgements.
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