The Golden State Warriors ' remarkable rise from being the NBA's doormat to a full-fledged dynasty in the 2010s was sparked by numerous things: tenacious defense, selfless play, and incredible ball movement immediately come to mind. However, there's no disputing what the Warriors' lifeblood was — precision three-point shooting.
With the "Splash Brothers," Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson , leading the charge, the Dubs became an unstoppable juggernaut that other teams had no clue how to slow down. However, one thing that doesn't get enough credit is the bruising screens the Warriors players set to spring their lethal perimeter marksmen free.
In that regard, one of the best at that skill was 7-foot Australian Andrew Bogut . Acquired by Golden State in March 2012 in the unpopular trade that sent crowd-favorite Monta Ellis to Milwaukee , the former first-overall pick soon became an integral part of the Warriors' championship puzzle, with his tough screen-setting giving Steph and Klay all the space they needed to launch their potent moonshots.
However, in a rare moment of transparency, Bogut admitted in 2012 that not every screen he set was legal by NBA standards. However, he understood that, as humans are, the referees often got so caught up in the Warriors' flurries that they usually turned a blind eye to all the illegal screens he set.
To be fair, Steph and Klay were skilled enough to take and make three-pointers on their own. However, there's nothing like a solid screen to give them that extra second or two to get an immaculate look at the rim.
"The one thing that was crazy about that run was the s—t that I used to get away with screening. It was all time," Bogut said .
Bogut spent his first seven seasons in the NBA in Milwaukee and he recalled that doing those types of screens in Wisconsin often meant a seat on the bench early in the game due to foul trouble. However, that wasn't the case in Golden State.
"Then I'm playing in Golden State. Golden State started to become that underdog, America's type team that was building up. And I knew once Steph or Klay got hot, that the refs would be in the moment as well, and I could literally clothesline someone off the next pin down or whatever," he shared, a huge smile forming on his face.
Known for their incredible scoring runs that drained opponents of their morale and energy, Bogut knew there was a chance that the referees would allow a little more holding and grabbing on those screens if only to see how far the Warriors could take their scoring barrages.
"I'll just punch someone in the face on the screen, knock them out and they wouldn't call it," he hilariously recalled.
After winning his first and only championship in 2015, his stint with the Warriors ended the following year when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks . There, he soon found out that the shenanigans he used to get away with wouldn't fly.
"I get traded to Dallas and then set those same screens—I'd have three fouls in the first quarter," the big man commented. "Yeah, it was crazy, the stuff I used to get away with."
Opponents of the Warriors often complained about the screens set by the likes of Bogut, Draymond Green , David Lee , Festus Ezeli and many others for their high-scoring backcourt. So, it's refreshing to see their qualms get validated by Bogut of all people.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
