golden state warriors defense: the omaha of andrew bogut (Photo: @_thebesteditzz_ Instagram account)
WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILITY, OAKLAND, CA — When we tweeted last week that Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut, often-times referred to as the “anchor” of the team’s defense, had described his defensive role as a “quarterback”, “Ms.J” on Twitter had this response:
@LetsGoWarriors Omaha!
— Ms.J (@Gretchen415) March 8, 2014
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The phrase, often barked by NFL quarterbacks, was made famous this past NFL playoffs and Superbowl by Denver Broncos‘ Peyton Manning.
“I think I’m the last line of defense, so I can see a lot of things before they happen,” Bogut explained, “I’ll try to talk early and loud and make sure guys know what’s going on.”
So, in essence, Bogut is more like a middle linebacker or perhaps positionally an extremely vocal free safety on the Warriors’ Top-Five defensive squad. Whatever the right metaphor, we can forgive Bogut, as he’s more into Australian Rules Football, which apparently has no such position as “quarterback”.
“My thing is to make sure my guys don’t get hit with screens and get hurt and get banged up,” Bogut said, “Guys like Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) that are our best scorers. They need their energy and strength on the offensive end, so I make sure they don’t get hit defensively.”
Frontcourt mate David Lee speaks of Bogut in terms of leadership.
“He’s a great leader for us on defense, as far as communication,” Lee said.
As Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury recently wrote:
When you talk to them (Bogut as well as Draymond Green), what really jumps out is how much they both talk on the floor–calling out screens, barking out instructions, the whole deal.
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Bogut especially is the captain of the defense and the organizer, and you know that when he bellows, the other Warriors players listen.
As he told Kawakami, Bogut believes his value is “talking on defense and being a quarterback and plugging up the lane, being physical, using fouls.”
In Kawakami’s interviews, Draymond Green also described what Bogut is barking while on the court.
“When he’s in the back, he’s always talking,” Green told Kawakami, “Feels good to hear a guy behind you and know everything that’s going on even when you can’t see it. He’s just directing the defense–screens, flares, downs, getting into the coverages we’re in, calling out plays. It’s just like a point guard directing the offense, he does that on the defensive end.”
Aside from being vocal, Bogut’s also one of the game’s best defensive strategists. As Zach Lowe of Grantland recently wrote:
Bogut talks about “committing late” on defense. What he means: When a guard penetrates into the paint, Bogut will often stick to his own assignment or shift only halfway into help position. It will look as if the guard has a clean lane to the basket. Why is Bogut being so lazy!!???
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What he’s really trying to do: impose indecision. The ball handler knows Bogut will slide over at some point, and the fear of that can paralyze most driving guards. Bogut’s hesitation, meanwhile, means the rolling big man is covered. That kind of stasis in the middle allows Golden State’s other defenders to stick by their own assignments.
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Something has to give. Maybe the guard will surrender and launch a tough floater — exactly what Bogut wants. Maybe the little guy will find some bravery and go at the rim, at which point Bogut will shift into rim protector mode at the last possible moment and go for the block. A wily guard can try to slip a wraparound pass to Bogut’s man as Bogut is airborne, but those are tough dishes, and the Warriors will have help at the ready.
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There aren’t many big men with the combination of balletic footwork, smarts, and conviction to create these little cat-and-mouse games.
“He’s one of the smarter players in the league,” Lee added, “You talk about guys that are 7-footers. A lot of guys, you hear people say they don’t use their size well, whether they’re not as strong as they should be or they don’t protect the rim as well as they should with their size. Bogut, on the other hand, really maximizes his height and his length and he’s very good with positioning and very good with angles.”
Being vocal also can rub off on teammates.
“Of course me and ‘Bogues’ have the loudest voices on the defensive end,” Green said last week after practice, “However, everyone’s starting to pickup (on being vocal).”
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