Milwaukee Bucks: Grading every draft of the past decade
By Ben Sewell
2008
8 – Joe Alexander
37 – Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Grade: C-
In John Hammond’s first NBA draft as general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks, he scraped in with barely a pass grade. With his first pick, Hammond took Joe Alexander, a junior out of West Virginia University.
Alexander had rocketed up many boards thanks to a spirited finish to his time in West Virginia. Alexander helped West Virginia to be a seven-seed in the NCAA tournament and then took them all the way to the Sweet 16. Alexander finished the season averaging 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with many considering him to be the best athlete in the whole draft class.
Hammond obviously saw something he liked and picked Alexander with the eighth pick in the draft. Unfortunately for both Hammond and Milwaukee, Alexander was not able to replicate this form in the NBA. Alexander lasted only one season in Milwaukee, finishing with 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12 minutes of action per game. Alexander was traded to Chicago where he played only a further eight games before exiting the league altogether.
Alexander is considered to be one of Milwaukee’s greatest ever draft busts. Hammond took a flyer on a kid with potential and it didn’t pay off at all. Also consider that Brook Lopez, George Hill and DeAndre Jordan were selected later in this draft.
The 2008 draft would have been graded a complete failure, if not for Hammond’s second round selection. With the 37th pick, the Bucks snagged Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who went on to become a fan favorite in Milwaukee. Mbah a Moute spent five seasons in Milwaukee, averaging 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals per contest. Mbah a Moute however was best known for his tenacious defence, as he was often found defending the opposition’s best player.
Mbah a Moute was a steal at 37 and saves Hammond the embarrassment of failing his first ever draft. The failure of Alexander cannot be understated however and this is why, even with the success of Mbah a Moute, Hammond earns a C- for the 2008 NBA draft.