Bogut proving he belongs

After recently turning a career-best performance in his short NBA career, it is a fitting time for Darrell Halim to delve into the first month of Andrew Bogut’s time in the world’s premier basketball competition.

Australian Basketballer Andrew Bogut in the big time NBA league

In the season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, Bogut had 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in what was an impressive NBA debut. Since then, he has played a vital role in a number of the Bucks’ victories.

On Saturday night, playing in front of his new home crowd, Bogut scored a career-high 21 points and added six rebounds to help his Milwaukee Bucks defeat the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers 111-106.

Bogut scored seven of his 21 points down the stretch to upstage King James’ NBA season-high of 52 points.

“I’m just trying to play hard,” Bogut said. “I’m just proving a point to myself that I can play in this league.”

The seven-foot Australian was selected at number one in the NBA Draft as he was the player deemed most capable of contributing straight away – an attribute the Bucks held highly.

Bogut has done just that, his most recent outing further evidence of the immediate contribution he is making to his team.

“Andrew sure made a difference at the end,” Bucks’ head coach Terry Stotts said.

“He was rebounding, getting second-chance points. A lot of things he gets accomplished at the offensive end, because he’s working hard and seeing the plays.”

But this wasn’t the first time that Bogut had made an impression in the decisive fourth quarter of a game.

In Milwaukee’s previous game, Bogut made a go-ahead follow shot with 10 seconds to spare as part of a closing 10-0 run that gave the Bucks an 88-85 victory over a slumping Philadelphia team.

However, in his first month in the NBA the Melbourne-born Bogut has lived through a mixture of other emotions including a run of four losses in five games, an enthusiastic ovation in his return to Salt Lake City (the hometown of his college team), a cake from his teammates for his 21st birthday, and surgery on a broken nose.

Despite being subject to this roller-coaster-ride of events, Bogut has contributed positively overall, averaging a modest 7.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game.

With Bogut’s handy contributions, the Bucks are currently third in the Central Division and are sitting in fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, with a spot in the playoffs a more than reasonable goal.

Like any other rookie, Bogut, who has come to be known as ‘the Bogeyman’, has found it tough adjusting to the NBA lifestyle, but appears to understand his role on the court.

“I’ve learned to just bring it every day and every game,” said Bogut on The First Season, his recently launched diary on the Bucks’ official website.

The Bucks seem to love him too, and for good reason.

After regaining a spot in the starting five due to injury, Bogut responded in style, scoring 19 points, a career-best at the time, to go with his 14 rebounds and game-winning block, in an over-time win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Bogut, the lone Australian in the NBA, managed all of this whilst sporting a protective mask to protect the broken nose he sustained in a game just five days prior.

Before his impressive performance against the Mavericks, Bogut had been relegated to the bench for a five-game stretch, his minutes dwindling to less than 20 minutes per game, while his production followed suit, averaging only 5.8 points and 7.4 boards in these games.

With the first month behind him, Bogut will continue his apprenticeship in the NBA, focussing on further developing his game through incessant hard work – a trait that earned him his dream of playing in the NBA.

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