"He's as valuable as anyone in my career": NBA star praises Bogut

Draymond Green has been one of the most influential players in the NBA over the past decades, winning four championships with the Golden State Warriors.

In that time, Green, a four-time All Star and the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, helped change the game by playing as a “small ball five”, which powered the Warriors to success.

In a recent interview, the two time Olympic gold medallist credited his former teammate and current Sydney Kings assistant coach Andrew Bogut for making him into the player he is and achieving what he did during his incredible career.

“Andrew Bogut is as valuable as anyone in my career,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show.

“Andrew Bogut taught me how to play both post defence the first day I got to Golden State. He helped me understand different reads on the defensive end as good as anyone has taught me.

“I was so lucky to come into an organisation that had Andrew Bogut there to teach me the things that he taught me because it's paid dividends in my career and allowed me to become the defender that I've become.

“I can never overstate enough how much he meant to the beginning of my career.”

Bogut played a key role alongside Green during the Warriors' 2015 championship.

“When you talk the beginning of the Dubs dynasty and how important Andrew Bogut was, he was that force in the middle for us,” Green said.

“We knew in going up against Dwight Howard, who was great big at the time, and going up against the great bigs in the league at the time, we knew we had a guy that can guard and stop all it.

“During that time, bigs were very valuable and going into those series, we knew no matter what, at the five position, we were going to be solid because Bogues got him.

“He was very vital in his leadership. He was very vital to the beginning of the dynasty and what became of the dynasty.

“He was huge and I could never thank Bogues enough [for everything he taught me].”

Green also believes that if not for an injury to Bogut, the Warriors could have also defeated Cleveland in game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals.

“As far as his injury in the 2016 Finals, no one ever talks about it, but it was big,” Green said.

“We needed Bogues in that series but he had a fractured rib and he couldn't go.

“When you lose a player in a series, trying to find that fifth guy can always be tough. As we didn't have Bogues, we had to try to find the fifth guy to plug in and we just didn't really have enough time for the adjustment.

“[Further to that] no one ever really talks about Bogues being hurt and missing that game seven [against Cleveland], but that was everything. We needed Bogues in that game seven. If we have Bogues, it's a completely different story.

“It is what it is and we weren't able to make up what we lost in his absence and ultimately end up falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers that year.”

Bogut's Kings, who are 15-9 on the season, next play Brisbane on Thursday night at the 2026 HoopsFest in Perth.

That Round 17 fixture at RAC Arena tips off at 9.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.