Aussie Bogut getting used to NBA demands

WASHINGTON: Having players like 7-foot-1, 325-pound Shaquille O'Neal leaning on you for 35 minutes every game is only one part of the NBA's learning curve for Andrew Bogut.

The third-year center with the Milwaukee Bucks said he was becoming more adept at coping with the peculiarities of the league and its grueling 82-game season each time he stepped on the court.

"I'm now used to staying in hotels, used to traveling, used to certain NBA cities, certain crowds, certain floors," the Australian told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

"Everything plays a big part. You have to ball all that up. What happens on the court is just one part of the NBA experience. There's a lot more to it."

The 23-year-old Bogut has improved each season in the league and this year the soft-spoken center is averaging 13.5 points and 9.2 rebounds, both career highs.

Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said he believed Bogut would continue to develop despite the lofty expectations placed on the No 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft.

"I never looked at him as the No 1 choice but I can only imagine the pressure that comes with it," he said. "But I think he's getting more and more comfortable in his own skin.

"It gets back to him controlling what he can and not get caught up in what everybody else is saying. He's going to be fine. It's a process.

"I see nothing but an upward curve for him. He works as hard as anybody."

No regrets

Bogut, who has yet to make the All Star team, said he no longer tried to live up to the expectations that come with being the No 1 draft choice.

"A lot of people will compare you to previous No 1 picks and No 1 picks in the future," he said. "I think I was the best player in my class at that time.

"Obviously, Chris Paul (of New Orleans, chosen fourth in the draft) and Deron Williams (Utah, third) have had better careers than myself at the moment and their teams are winning, which is the most important thing.

"But I have no regrets. At the time I think I was the best player in college and now I'm comfortable with where I am. But I know I have a long way to go."

Perhaps the only area the seven-foot Bogut has gone backwards is at the foul line where he is averaging a career-worst 56 percent for the Bucks (23-40).

"I changed my shot over the summer," he said. "I've got a couple of flaws that I'm trying to change. It might take two years before it goes back up to where it should be.

"I was told it was going to go downhill before it goes uphill. It's something I'm going to have to live with for now."

Bogut knows he will never have the physical presence of players like O'Neal, the Phoenix Suns' 14-time All-Star, and the Bucks center is content with getting better each year.

"I've used these last few years to get a good taste in my mouth and get my feet wet," he said. "It's time to start producing more and more. I'm not done yet."

Agencies

(China Daily 03/13/2008 page23)