Bogut tips huge upset as heavyweights await Boomers

by Admin
July 29, 2024

Andrew Bogut believes the Boomers can topple Canada in their Paris 2024 group match on Tuesday night, labelling the Canadians “beatable”.

The Boomers got their Olympic campaign off to a winning start on Saturday, upsetting Spain 92-80 after bursting out of the gates in the first quarter.

Centre Jock Landale was one of Australia’s best with 20 points while point guard Dyson Daniels was an unsung hero for the side with 13.

Bogut credited the Aussies’ fast start to Landale, saying his early touches swung the game for the Boomers.

“They need to make a big effort of getting [Landale] involved early. He’s a different player for this team when you can get him touches early,” Bogut told NBL Media’s The Gold Standard.

Jock Landale in action for the Boomers against Spain. Nine

“He’s not always going to shoot it. He’s very, very smart with his playmaking ability, his handoffs — he makes the right decisions. He made a lot of good decisions in the short roll, meaning he’s set the ball screen rolls to about the free throw line, they throw it to him and he’s throwing it out to shooters.

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“I feel like when he’s super involved in the offence, it unlocks everything else for him.”

Bogut also praised Dyson Daniels’ defensive efforts in his first match on the Olympic stage.

“The job Dyson Daniels did in that game … just picking up full court — an absolute nuisance for the Spanish,” he said.

“[Daniels and Josh Green are not] point guards, you could see it when they were getting the ball inbounded to them, they did not want to bring the ball up. They were asking for screens at three-quarter court, they were trying to get off the ball.

“[Spain’s Lorenzo] Brown turned it over a few times. They just did a lot of good things and … I thought our defence is probably going to be our staple.”

With Canada’s side fielding 10 NBA players — including Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) — the 2023 World Cup bronze medallists will go into the match as the favourites but Bogut suspects this could be to their detriment.

“I think they’re beatable, I think they play in ebbs and flows,” he said.The Gold Standard.

“I think they can front-run a little bit and they can get in their own head a little bit. Our physicality is what can probably win this game.”

To get the job done, Bogut said the match-up between Daniels and Gilgeous-Alexander would be crucial.

“The most important player is going to be Dyson Daniels because he’s going to get SGA,” he said.

“If he slows down SGA — they do like to have SGA bring the ball up — so just wear him down, turn him in the backcourt, try to get his legs for later on in the game.

“I hope Dyson Daniels starts on him.”