Like most travelers who head off to the nation's desert capital, the Bucks anticipated an entertaining time when they ventured to Las Vegas in July for the annual NBA Summer League.
Financial ups and downs aside, the trip didn't exactly pan out as expected. With most eyes on high-flying, first-round pick Joe Alexander, second-rounder Luc Richard Mbah a Moute set the tone defensively as the Bucks held four different opponents to 72 points or fewer en route to a 4-1 record that tied for the best among all the teams in Vegas.
Mbah a Moute, who played his college ball in the West at UCLA, led the Bucks in rebounding with 33 in five games. He also found time to contribute 9.0 points an outing as the Bucks bounced back from an opening loss to the Grizzlies to beat the Pistons, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Cavaliers.
"We challenged the guys on the first day to represent the Milwaukee Bucks with an all-out effort on the defensive end," Bucks coach Scott Skiles reviewed. "I think we had the best team (in Vegas)."
Skiles singled out Mbah a Moute, gushing, "Luc was one of the best overall individual defenders" in the entire summer league.
Meanwhile, Alexander's performance had to qualify as head-scratching. He had his moments -- like consecutive hoops late in the game as the Bucks handed the Nuggets their only defeat. But he shot just 34.6 percent overall, made only one three-pointer in five games, didn't rebound much (3.6 per outing) and disappointed on his biggest stage -- shooting 2-for-13 in a head-to-head matchup with Grizzlies' lottery pick O.J. Mayo.
"There are a lot of things he's got to learn," Skiles admitted.
