NBA News: Australian Andrew Bogut lost 20 pounds in 2015 of-season
Australian Andrew Bogut, who plays centre for the Golden State Warriors, has shed off about 20 pounds in the 2015 off-season. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted the update on the veteran big man, saying that Bogut was especially “springy” at this point of the NBA off-season.
The 30-year-old Bogut was troubled by various injuries in previous years but has been relatively healthy the past two seasons. He has played 67 of 82 games in each of the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 NBA seasons. Before the 2014-2015 season, when the Warriors won the NBA title, Bogut also missed games in the post-season.
During the 2015 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bogut saw limited time on the floor as the Warriors chose to go “smallball,” playing smaller forwards Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala in the front court.
Bogut played major minutes in the first three games of the best-of-seven series but only spent three minutes in Game 4. He also did not play in Games 5 and 6. Golden State defeated Cleveland in six games to win their first world championship since 1975.
In the 2014-2015 season, Bogut averaged 6.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game, according to ESPN. Those numbers are among the worst in his career, but his role has vastly changed as the Warriors had more offensive options in superstar Stephen Curry and shooter Klay Thompson. Bogut's length and size is valued in the team as he is their primary defensive player down low.
Bogut played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2005 to 2012 and was one of the primary scorers for the team. With the Australian cutting weight in this off-season, Bogut is reportedly hoping that he can keep up with the Warriors’ fast-paced and high-scoring system.
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