Andrew Bogut has been playing off-the-bench in Mavericks for the past few weeks because of complication to play him alongside Dirk Nowitzki. However, he said he accepted the decision and informed the coach about it.
According to ESPN, Bogut and Nowitzki have played only one game together since Nov. 25. This season they have played for 53 minutes together in thr 34 games this season. When Mavericks put these two big man together on court, their opponents outscored them by 62 points.
Bogut has showed that he made the greater impact in defense according to statistics revealed by NBA.com. When Bogut was on the floor, the Mavericks only allowed their opponent to score 95.4 points per 100 possessions, which made them as one of the best in the league for defensive efficiency. However, when Bogut was on the bench, the number dropped drastically to 111.3 points, that put them the last in the league.
Coach Rick Carlisle has not found the right formula to play them together and making a great impact for the team. In Dec. 27 loss against Houston Rockets, Nowitzki and Bogut were playing together as starter. But in 10 minutes, Bogut was benched after grabbing 6 rebounds and made 2 blocks, and he never returnd to the game. Afterward, Bogut came to the coach and informed the decision to be that fine to play off-the-bench.
"There's no point of starting with Dirk and then getting pulled 30 seconds into a game," Bogut said. "So I went to coach and said, 'If you're going to continue to do that, just bring me off the bench. I won't be offended. We'll get on with life.'"
Nowitzki has acknowledged his deficiency when playing together with Bogut due to his lack of speed. He also praised Bogut for his willingness to sacrifice his game time for the team. But Nowitzki urged the coach to find the solution for having Bogut and him on the floor together to maximize the impact.
Watch the highlight of the game between Dallas Mavericks against Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, Jan. 3 as the Mavericks defeated the Wizards 113-105 below:
