Bucks Diary: Bogut Looks Like the New Walton

Bogut looks like Bill Walton redux

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Last summer prior to the NBA draft we heard top pick C Andrew Bogut compared to a sundry of players, most of them mediocrities like human statue Brad Miller, chain smoker Vlade Divac, and even the slug Chris Kaman. After his preseason play, and his first two regular season games a new much more prestigious comparison seems apt. Andrew Bogut looks for all the world to be the new Bill Walton.

Their games are so similar it is a wonder few have recognized the parallels. Bogut's size and frame are almost identical to the 1974 version of Walton. His style is a mirror reflection as well. He runs the floor like Walton. He crashes the boards with the same reckless abandon that the redhead had. He finishes around the basket just like him. He even has that same 'two hands in the air' defensive style that Portland fans loved. They're so similar in fact I wouldn't be surprised if I found out Bogut carries his gym clothes in an onion bag and doesn't eat meat.

This analogy gives Bucks fans an insight into what they can expect from their new big man. First, he's not Shaq. He's not going to dominate the paint, or intimidate anyone, or dunk on the entire opposition. That's the Wilt Chamberlin school of big men. The Bill Walton school teaches you to hustle, pass exquisitely out of the high and low post, finish strong around the basket ("throw it dowwwwn, big man") and get teammates easy scoring opportunities. So, Bogut will not put up big scoring numbers-- just as Walton did not -- but he will rebound with abandon, and, despite his relative lack of heft in the post, he will grow to become a more than effective defender and shot blocker.

So strap yourselves in Bucks fans. This Croatian may not wear a bandana or have nasty red sideburns, but he is the closest thing to Bill Walton the league has seen since the redhead's heyday, and that's good news for all fans of the Green and Purple.