Why Bannan reminds Bogut of Olympic medallist

Thursday, January 9, 2025

"I get similar vibes of an intangibles guy."

Australian basketball great Andrew Bogut says Brisbane Bullets youngster Josh Bannan reminds him of Olympic bronze medallist Nick Kay.

Speaking during the broadcast of Brisbane’s 83-74 win over New Zealand on Wednesday night, Bogut explained how Bannan shares the intangible skillset that makes Kay so valuable.

“Not there yet, but I get Nick Kay vibes from what he (Bannan) does,” Bogut said.

“From the sense of, can play a bit of three, can play a bit of four in the NBL, legs are always moving, motor’s moving, gets to the front of the rim for offensive rebounds, can shoot the three ball.

“Not there yet but I get similar vibes of an intangibles guy that’s an Australian in this league.”

Bannan has had an injury riddled season, appearing in just 14 matches and averaging 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

The 23-year-old has been on NBA radars in the past and has the potential to become a key figure in the future of Australian basketball.

The Bullets face the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday night at 8pm AEDT live on ESPN.