NBA Rumors: Andrew Bogut Could Serve As Warriors’ Starting Center Against Spurs, Timberwolves

After the 2017-18 NBA season, Andrew Bogut decided to temporarily leave the NBA to play for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League. The Sydney Kings failed to win the championship, but Bogut was named as the Most Valuable Player, Best Defensive Player, and earned an All-NBL First Team honors after averaging 11.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks on 56.0 percent shooting from the field.

Andrew Bogut’s incredible performance caught the attention of several NBA teams, including the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors. Despite dumping him to the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2016, Bogut still agreed to play for the Warriors for the remainder of the 2018-19 NBA season. With the Warriors having DeMarcus Cousins on their roster, Bogut expects that he will only be having limited playing time in his return to Golden State. But according to Mark Medina of The Mercury News, the Aussie big man could receive “some role” when he makes his season debut against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.

As Medina noted, the Warriors originally intended to give Andrew Bogut time to rest from a long flight and find his new home. However, the Warriors’ plan for Bogut changed when All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins suffered a sore right foot in their recent victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Originally, Andrew Bogut planned to settle in the Bay Area this weekend so he could adjust to jet lag and find a new place to live. But with DeMarcus Cousins having an MRI on Monday because of a sore right foot, Bogut will be available to play when the Warriors (47-21) visit the San Antonio Spurs (41-29) on Monday. It is not immediately clear how many minutes Bogut will actually play. But with the possibility of Cousins either being limited or sitting out entirely for the Warriors’ upcoming back-to-back, it appears likely Bogut will have some role in San Antonio (Monday) and Minnesota (Tuesday).”

Wrote on DeMarcus Cousins' impending MRI and Andrew Bogut's earlier than expected reunion https://t.co/Jea46Z51TU

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 18, 2019

The Warriors should be more cautious on DeMarcus Cousins as there are only a few games left before the real battle begins in the Western Conference Playoffs. The Warriors need Cousins to be 100 percent healthy in order to have a better chance of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning their third consecutive NBA championship title.

While DeMarcus Cousins is recovering, Andrew Bogut could use the opportunity to prove that he still has what it takes to help the Warriors capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Bogut may already be 34, but he remains a dominant presence under the basket. After playing for the Warriors for four seasons, Bogut isn’t expected to have a hard time making himself fit with their system.