Dallas Mavericks: Nowitzki, Carlisle Have High Praise for Andrew Bogut

The acquisition of Andrew Bogut might have flown under the radar on the national stage, but in Dallas, the Mavericks already have high praise for the Australian.

Once Kevin Durant picked Golden State, the Dallas Mavericks suddenly found a glimmer of hope as they capitalized on not just signing Harrison Barnes, but trading for Andrew Bogut at the same time.

Although Barnes is looked at as a cornerstone for the years to come, a healthy Bogut could make a bigger impact this coming season.

After coming off an impressive summer Olympics where the world watched an offensive side of Bogut come out, the Mavericks look to capitalize on the Bogut addition by shining light on some areas that Golden State didn’t have the opportunity to.

Whether it was Golden State or the Australian National Team this summer, arguably the biggest asset of Bogut’s that goes unnoticed to many is his ability to pass the basketball.

When Dirk Nowitzki was asked this week in practice about playing with a passing big man like Bogut, he credited Bogut for being one of the best passing big men in the league.

“He’s got to be one of top passers in that spot this league has. He’s smart. He’s patient. He fits it in  between defenders. He’s fun to play with. He wants to share the ball, make his teammates better.”

Earl K. Sneed, the Mavs beat writer, asked Carlisle what would it be like to have a playmaking big man and excellent passer like Bogut at center. Carlisle related Bogut to two of the best passing big men of all-time.

“Well Zaza had a lot of the same qualities. I was an assistant coach with Sabonis back in the 90’s, who’s one of the best ever. I believe Bogut is one of the best ever in that same kind of ilk. Playmaking big men. I played with Walton.”

The possibility of surrounding Bogut with five players who can shoot the three is exciting for the Mavericks as they have formed a roster that should shoot a large amount for threes this season. Even for Nowitzki, having Bogut on both ends of the ball should pay dividends.

"“He’s a great, really smart defender. Rim protector. He can share the ball. He sets unbelievable screens…no wonder Steph [Curry] was always open. He’s so smart, he picks right angles and right spots to set guys great screens. He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever played with” -Nowitzki on Bogut’s all-around game."

Last year, Dallas had a smart, savvy big man in Zaza Pachulia that battled down low and passed the ball at a high rate. Then they had Salah Mejri who countered Pachulia with his high-flying presence on both ends of the ball. Andrew Bogut should be a combination of the two as he is an anchor on the defensive end and can pass it efficiently on the other.

But coming into a new system after running the same system in Golden State the past four years could be challenging for Bogut, especially at the start. When asked how Bogut was fitting into the new system, Carlisle had high praise for the big man.

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“Very seamless. Extremely knowledgable player with a great feel for the game. As we put things in, he always picks up on the nuances right away. The reads, the counters, the things to take advantage of when the defense cheats. He really is a brilliant player from the standpoint of his basketball intellect and his feel for the game at his position.”

So much for a learning curve, right? Bogut seems to be picking everything up at a quick pace as the big man gets used to playing for his new team and head coach. Although he is destined to go through a few growing pains, Bogut looks to be a perfect fit so far in Dallas.

For the Dallas Mavericks to make any noise in the Western Conference this coming season they are going to need a healthy Andrew Bogut holding down the paint. With a couple of weeks down and a preseason debut looming, Bogut is continually getting high praise from people all over the Mavericks organization.

If Andrew Bogut stays healthy, he could be the best overall center that Dirk Nowitzki has played with his entire career.