Last night against Dallas, Andrew Bogut shot 13 of 14 and went to the foul line to finish with 32 points.  His big effort was what kept the Bucks close throughout the game, although they did end up losing by one.  So let’s look at how Bogut was able to put up these numbers.

Running The Floor

What makes Andrew Bogut so dangerous is that despite being a big guy, he is very mobile and athletic.  This means that he is always looking to run the court to give himself easy opportunities in transition.

Once the rebound gets secured in the open court, Andrew Bogut puts his head down and starts sprinting down the court.  Right down the middle.  You are taught this as a big man, but few are mobile enough to do this effectively.  Look at Erick Dampier, he crashed the offensive boards, and that instantly puts him in incorrect position to defend Bogut’s run.

As the ball gets passed to Brandon Jennings, Bogut is still running down the court, extending the gap between he and Andrew Bogut.

Brandon Jenning is able to penetrate and he hits Bogut in the paint.  All Dampier can do is foul Bogut.  The beauty of this is that Dampier is still chasing Bogut, so he has no idea where the basketball is, and that leaves him unable to defend the pass.

Ability To Put The Ball On The Floor

Bogut’s mobility also helps him in the half court.  This is because now that Andrew Bogut has presented himself as a post threat, teams tend to load up on him.

Like here, Bogut wants the ball in the post, but Dampier defends him well and pushes him outside.

Bogut makes the catch just one step inside the three point line.  Most centers are pretty much useless out there, but not Bogut.  He is able to put the ball on the floor and blow past Erick Dampier.

He then is able to finish with the lay-up.

Position Inside

So what do the Bucks do when they want to get Bogut a touch down low?  Well, they run some offense around him and then hit him quickly in the post.

When this play starts, it looks like Bogut is just going to be a screener as they look for an outside jumper.  The ball gets swung around as the Bucks run some players off Bogut’s screens.

But as the ball gets swung around back to Brandon Jennings, Bogut quickly turns and seals off Dampier.  Since Dampier is helping on the screens and not really focused on defending Bogut in the post, he allows for Bogut to get position in the lane.

Jennings hits Bogut with a pass, and he makes the catch in the mid-post.

Since he is in such good position, Bogut is able to take 1 dribble and comfortably drill a turnaround hook shot.