NBA: Andrew Bogut says ‘bring on Dante Exum’ as Golden State Warriors prepare to play Utah Jazz

NBA star Andrew Bogut says he can’t wait for his all-Aussie battle with Dante Exum and Joe Ingles when Golden State takes on Utah on Saturday.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, center, puts up a shot as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, left, and center Andrew Bogut, of Australia, defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Warriors won 136-115. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

NBA star Andrew Bogut says he can’t wait to get stuck into fellow Aussies Dante Exum and Joe Ingles when the Golden State Warriors take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

It is the first time the three Australians will go head to head in an NBA regular season game and the Jazz will have their work cut out against a Warriors outfit that has won eight of its 10 games so far and has the second best record in the Western Conference.

Utah, on the other hand, has struggled for consistency, failing to string together consecutive wins so far this season and stumbling to a 5-7 record.

Bogut said the Warriors would be ready for any Exum fireworks, with the 19-year-old showing glimpses of his potential in his team’s most recent win against Oklahoma City, in which he sunk a trio of three-pointers in quick succession to put the Thunder to the sword.

Good win! Looking fwd to a few days rest before we face my fellow countryman @Joeingles7 and @daanteee s Utah Jazz on friday.

— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) November 17, 2014

“I’m excited to play against a good young team like the Jazz. They’re really well-coached and they seem to play really hard for Quin Snyder,” Bogut wrote in a column for nba.com.

“They have a good balance and being young, they’re still learning on the job which means mistakes will come but they’re playing a dangerous brand and they can beat anyone on any given night.”

Bogut said Exum was outstripping expectations in his first year in the NBA, despite averaging only 5.8 points per game.

“Dante has had a lot of attention being a top-five pick, he’s come off the bench so far and I think he’s doing a great job for his team,” the veteran centre said.

“He’s playing his role well and we all know he’s a high IQ guy who knows how to play. The great thing is that he isn’t trying to do too much and I think he’ll continue to get better with more game time.

He’ll only get more and more comfortable as he plays more and then we’ll really get to see more of his talent come out.”

Bogut said he wouldn’t spend much time guarding either of his compatriots, and would instead be focusing his attention on rising star Derrick Ravors.

“He’s a developing power forward/centre in this league and he’s very athletic for his size,” Bogut said.

“He’s worked on his jumper and we’ll need to put some work in to stop him when the Jazz operate the pick-and-roll because he’s dangerous in that situation.”

Originally published as NBA: Andrew Bogut says ‘bring on Dante Exum’ as Golden State Warriors prepare to play Utah Jazz