In a heartfelt segment of The Draymond Green Show, the four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer credited Bogut as one of the most influential figures in his development, and a cornerstone of Golden State’s rise to dominance. Coming into the NBA as an undersized forward, Draymond credits Bogut with teaching him the nuances of elite post defense, timing, and rotations.
“Andrew Bogut on my career is as valuable as anyone. Andrew Bogut taught me how to play both post defense. It’s the first day I got to Golden State.”
“Andrew Bogut helped me understand different reads on the defensive end, as good as anyone has taught me. Andrew Bogut — I can never overstate enough how much he meant to me getting into my career and the player that I’ve been able to become.”
Their early partnership became foundational to the Warriors’ defensive identity, and his mentorship has “paid dividends” throughout Green’s storied career.
✊✊✊ @Money23Green https://t.co/uWDHtIe9FY
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) January 10, 2026
“When you talk the beginning of the Dubs dynasty and how important Andrew Bogut was, he was that force in the middle for us.”
“We knew — going up against Dwight Howard, who was a great big at the time, and going up against the great bigs in the league — we had a guy that could guard and stop all of them.”
“During that time, bigs were very valuable. And going into these series, we knew no matter what, at the five position, we were going to be solid because Boges got them.”
“He was very vital in his leadership. He was very vital to the beginning of the dynasty — to what became a dynasty. Huge.”
Bogut’s leadership on and off the court played a pivotal role in uniting a young Warriors core and instilling a championship mindset. Draymond repeatedly emphasized how instrumental that veteran presence was.
Advanced stats back up what Draymond emphasized: during the Warriors’ 2015 title run, Bogut posted a team-best defensive rating of 98.0 and was among the NBA’s elite in rim contests and screen assists. He wasn’t just protecting the paint — he was quietly creating space and making reads that unlocked the Warriors’ offense. His fingerprints were on everything, even if they rarely showed up on the stat sheet.
2016 Finals: The Injury No One Talks About
Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals is often remembered for LeBron’s chase-down block and Kyrie Irving’s dagger three. But to Green, the series turned long before that—when Bogut went down with a fractured rib in Game 5.
“And as far as his injury in 2016 Finals — no one ever talks about it, but it was big. We needed Boges in that series. He had a fractured rib, and he couldn’t go.”
“And that was huge for us because when you lose a player in a series, trying to find that fifth guy can always be tough. And so we didn’t have Boges, and now you’ve got to try to find the fifth guy to plug in. And we just didn’t really have enough time for the adjustment.”
“So that was huge. No one ever really talks about Boges being hurt and missing that Game 7, but that was everything. We needed Boges in that Game 7.”
“I think if we have Boges, we’re a completely different story. Nonetheless, it is what it is.”
“We weren’t able to make up what we lost in his absence, and ultimately ended up falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers that year — 2016.”
How Bogut Was Underrated
What made Bogut different? According to Draymond, it was the combination of strength, IQ, and defensive tenacity that separated him from most big men of that era.
“Smart as hell. His passing out of the high post was incredible. Just really saw the game through a different lens.”
“I saw Boges give some of y’all favorite big men hell. Couldn’t score on him. Like hell, strong as hell. Athletic, great shot blocker. Contesting everything at the rim.”
“You dunk on him one time, you gotta do it three more times because he will be there every time you go. Like Boges, man. And then watch out because he will catch you and put it on your head as well.”
- First Australian selected as the No.1 overall NBA Draft pick (2005)
- NBA Champion with the Warriors (2015)
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2015)
- NBA Blocks Leader (2011)
- All-NBA Third Team (2010)
- NBL MVP and Best Defensive Player (2019)
- FIBA Hall of Fame Inductee (2025)
Bogut played 15 seasons in the NBA across teams like the Bucks, Warriors, Mavs, Cavs, and Lakers. His career stats: 9.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 BPG. In his later years, he returned to Australia to dominate the NBL and help elevate the league’s profile.
“It was really disappointing for me to have that injury because the Finals the year before, our small ball line-up was so dominant and I didn’t have a great series early on in that one, so we went small and it won us the championship.”
“Coming into the 2016 finals, I was in the mindset of, I want to dominate defensively and make Steve Kerr make a tough decision, whether he’s going to go small or not. If you’re doing well, he has to play you.”
“Would me not being injured have changed the rest of the series? Would the Draymond suspension change anything? Who knows.”
Andrew Bogut never needed headlines to prove his worth — his impact was felt in the plays that didn’t make highlight reels: the perfectly timed rotations, the hockey assists, the bruising screens, and the defensive covers that allowed stars to shine. For Draymond Green, Bogut wasn’t just a teammate — he was a mentor, a teacher, and a vital pillar in the architecture of a dynasty. Without Bogut, the Warriors’ early run might not have had the same foundation — or rings.
“Shout out to Boges,” is how Draymond ended the podcast, with genuine emotion. That shoutout should echo louder across NBA circles. Because while others lit up the scoreboard, Andrew Bogut quietly made sure everything else worked. And according to one of the league’s most respected defenders, that made all the difference.