Golden State Warriors starting center Andrew Bogut will miss the rest of the NBA Finals due to multiple bone bruises to his left knee, the Warriors announced on Wednesday. The injury will not require surgery, but Bogut will be out for 6-8 weeks.
Andrew Bogut will miss rest of NBA Finals with knee injury
The Warriors will be without their starting center for the rest of the NBA Finals due to a knee injury suffered in Game 5.
Bogut suffered the knee injury in the third quarter of the Warriors' 112-97 Game 5 loss at Oracle Arena on Monday night. The big Aussie went up to block a J.R. Smith shot attempt, and Smith landed awkwardly on Bogut's left leg.
Bogut remained on the floor in clear pain as play continued for several more possessions before a timeout was finally called. The 31-year-old couldn’t put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the floor and into the locker room before being diagnosed with a sprained left knee that kept him out the rest of the game.
Bogut averaged 3.2 points, three rebounds and two blocks in only 12 minutes per game in this series. The Warriors were outscored by over nine points per 100 possessions with him on the court in the Finals, per NBA.com. Still, his injury, in conjunction with Draymond Green’s suspension, really hurt the Warriors’ defense in Game 5.
Bogut’s absence won’t be as significant in Game 6 with Green back, as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr may opt to start the “Death Lineup” with Green at center. Bogut played only three minutes in the final three games of last year’s Finals when Kerr decided to go with the smaller look, so Golden State is used to not playing him in these situations.
Even so, Bogut’s injury makes Golden State’s margin for error a bit smaller considering the lack of production the other bigs have provided in the finals, and foul trouble for Green could cause some issues if those other players don’t step up.
In the bigger picture, this could have an impact on how the Warriors approach their offseason. Bogut has one year left on his deal at just over $11 million, and this injury, which is another in a rather lengthy history of them, could affect possible trade talks. It could also make re-signing Festus Ezeli imperative or even force Golden State to look at other center options.
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