| Demanding Attention Authored by Ross Geiger - November 24, 2008 - 7:09 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
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After using the 8th pick to select West Virginia forward, Joe Alexander the Bucks then had to decide whom they were going to take with their 2nd round, 37th pick. It ended up being one of the most experienced players in the entire draft who became the first player in 34 years to start in three consecutive Final Fours at UCLA. The answer, rookie forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Much like the Bucks team in general, Mbah a Moute is often overlooked. Coming into the draft, the focus surrounding UCLA's top pro prospects was on forward Kevin Love and point guard Russell Westbrook as they both were projected lottery picks.
The atmosphere when Mbah a Moute's name was called early in the 2nd round by Commissioner David Stern was just as typical as any other 2nd round pick. For Bucks fans, the pick had to have seemed a bit questionable after trading away for star forward Richard Jefferson as well as using the 8th pick to grab another forward in Alexander. But now 15 games into the season, no questions need to be asked as the rookie isn't only making noise in Milwaukee but around the entire NBA.
The UCLA Bruin is exactly what the Milwaukee Bucks had lacked the past couple years. He's a talented defender who has the ability to defend a wide variety of different players. Night in and night out, Mbah a Moute is given the order to defend the opponent's go to guy.
When facing the Cavs, he was given the assignment to contain Lebron who is always active on the offensive side of the ball as the entire offense runs through him.
Against the Celtics he was matched up against Kevin Garnett, a player you want to keep out of the paint and force him to take tough, contested jump shots. These are just two scenarios so far this season that we've seem him be given. Also, he defines what it means to be a Scott Skiles type of player as he's a high energy player, defends, and is unselfish by making the extra pass. Skiles has already replaced him as the every day starter at the power forward position over Charlie Villanueva.
Thoughts of him even playing the power forward position in the NBA didn't seem logical but quickly he has proven he can play both forward positions. He's a lot like Lamar Odom, a player who is long, can play both the 3 and the 4, a screen and pop type player who is able to finish at the rim and hits the open jumpers when given the space. It allows the Bucks to push the ball up the floor with him running first post as Bogut is often trailing the play to set a screen to begin the offensive set when the transition options aren't available. He also does all the little things, providing the offense with second chance opportunities throughout the game and has gotten into a great habit of crashing the offensive glass. His offensive rebounds often times put him in the position to go right back up with it and draw easy fouls. From the line he's currently shooting 73%. On the road against the Memphis Grizzles he totaled 19 points (7-8 from the charity stripe) along with 17 boards (10 coming from offensive rebounds).
Another note worth mentioning is he's not afraid to take big shots. In the Bucks home opener he made a huge hook shot with 37 seconds remaining to give the Bucks a lead over the Toronto Raptors. Though the Bucks went onto lose the game, his fearless play showed a lot about the young rookie.
Though the Rookie of the Year award will likely go to Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Rudy Fernandez or Michael Beasley, Mbah a Moute by far will be the most surprising rookie in this year's draft class. |
