Bogut Getting his Groove Back | Thebigtip

Andrew Bogut is starting to become a force in the middle for the surging Milwaukee Bucks with some inspired play of late.

Bogut, who suffered a horrific injury which prematurely ended his 2009-10 season where he sustained an ugly dislocated elbow and broken hand has been a beast in the middle averaging 21 points and 15.5 rebounds over the last five games in which the Bucks have won four out of five with a valiant loss to the Miami Heat, who are in the middle of a winning streak of their own.

The Melbourne big man, whilst still suffering some lingering pain from his injuries, is getting better game by game having now played 17 games for the season. His offensive play of late has been a bonus but his importance has been felt most on the defensive end. Bogut currently leads the league in blocks and his performance against the Mavs illustrated his effect on opposing players, where several times he managed to change the shot of a driving Mavs player, forcing them into a difficult attempt at the two, resulting in a miss as opposed to an otherwise easy layup

The Bucks performance against the Mavs was a huge confidence boost for the squad with a victory against a team who was on a 12 game win streak. The performance is even more credible given the fact the game was in Dallas and the Bucks were down by as much as 20 points in the second quarter. If Bogut can remain healthy for extended periods, the playoffs are definitely on the Bucks radar. With the likes of Brandon Jennings at Bogut's side, the Bucks could be a dangerous proposition in a 7 game series.

If he continues his play at this level, Bogut could very well be gracing the East All Star uniform in Los Angeles in February.