Los Angeles Lakers: Luke Walton believes Andrew Bogut will play in opener

The Los Angeles Lakers will start their season on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers. One player that Luke Walton thinks will be in uniform is Andrew Bogut.

Just prior to the start of training camp, the Los Angeles Lakers made a somewhat surprising signing when they added Andrew Bogut.

The signing of Bogut certainly was a positive one for the Lakers, as he adds some veteran leadership and a defensive presence in the middle. Bogut was able to win an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors a few years ago, and they hope he will bring some of that experience to a young Lakers team.

Despite signing before training camp, we didn’t get a chance to see Bogut in the preseason for the Lakers. Originally, Bogut didn’t play because of visa issues, then he suffered a groin strain which kept him out.

Even though Bogut missed the entire preseason, Luke Walton believes that Bogut will be ready for the season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Considering that the Clippers have DeAndre Jordan, they will likely avoid small ball lineups mostly. This means that the Lakers could certainly use Bogut off the bench to help give Brook Lopez a breather in a tough matchup.

Even though Bogut rarely looks to score, he is an excellent passer on offense. Also, his ability to rebound effectively could prove to be important against Jordan and the Clippers.

One of the major issues for the Lakers for the past few seasons has been their defense. Even if it just for small stretches, having Bogut protecting the middle should help the Lakers defensively. If the Lakers want to improve this season, they are going to have to improve defensively.

Next: 3 Reasons why signing Andrew Bogut was smart

Like many players early in the season, it is hard to expect that Bogut is in ideal game shape. However, he can certainly be useful for the Lakers in small stretches if he is healthy enough to play in the opener.