Bogut now reminds me of former Cavalier Brad Daugherty

Earlier in the season I compared FC Andrew Bogut to Hall-of-fame C Bill Walton. I withdraw that comparison. Bogut is not a young Bill Walton. I was wrong. Bogut does not quite have the same hyper athleticism and shot-blocking ability that the young Walton possessed, and his footwork is not nearly as good.

But after seeing Bogut play in person, I have a new comparison to make. Bogut now reminds me of former Cleveland Cavalier C Brad Daugherty. I know comparing a white player to a black player is unconventional, but other than skin color their skills, personalities, intelligence, and performance on the court are all quite similar. (I know Daugherty is long retired, but I am going to use the present tense when comparing him to Bogut just for simplicity sake.)

Photo Negatives of One Another

Physically, each player is listed at exactly 7'0'' and 245 pounds (though Daugherty seems stronger and bigger for some reason).

As for their games, they really share many of the same strengths and weaknesses.

On the negative side, both players appear to wear shoes made of lead, very heavy feet. Consequently, neither player blocks or intimidates many shots. And both have only average footwork and below average quickness.

On the positive side, both players are highly intelligent. And each is an effective scorer and rebounder despite his lack of "ups". Both catch the ball well, have a nice soft touch around the basket, and finish plays quite successfully. Both are excellent passers and each, surprisingly, runs the break very well for a big man. They are almost photo negatives of one another.

What the Future May Hold

If I am right in my analogy, Bucks fans should be optimistic about the future. Daugherty had an outstanding career. He averaged 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds. He shot an outstanding 53.2% from the field, and dished out an admirable 3.2 assists per game. He led Cleveland to the brink of championship contention, and probably would have gotten a ring but for a certain inhuman North Carolinian.

What about rookie comparisons. Well, unlike the talented Bucks team that Bogut joined, when Daugherty began his career the Cavaliers were awful. Thus, as a rookie, he was already a focal point of the Cleveland offense and consequently averaged 15.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on 53.4% shooting from the field. Despite Daugherty's exceptional rookie play, his Cavalier team still finished the season with a record of 31-51. But better times were ahead.

This year Bogut has averaged 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting a Daugherty like 53.9% from the field. The main differences between the two as rookies are shot attempts and minutes played. Daugherty averaged 11.7 shot attempts and 34.3 minutes per game as a rookie while Bogut is only averaging 7.2 shot attempts and 29.1 minutes per game. Again, the disparity has a lot to do with the quality of their respective rookie teams.

Let me know what you think of this comparison.