Mike Muscala was always supposed to be a complimentary piece for Oklahoma City. The problem is that Muscala was supposed to compliment a Thunder lineup built around Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
With Westbrook now in Houston and George gone to the Clippers, Muscala’s point production will be more important.
He was bought in to replace Patrick Patterson, a more expensive player that didn’t provide a consistent outside threat. But how consistent will Muscala be from beyond the arc?
Three-point shooting is something that Muscala has worked on over the years, but his numbers from three-point range aren’t that different from Patterson’s. For his career, Muscala is a 36.5 percent shooter from three, averaging 1.9 attempts per game. Patterson shot 36.7 percent on 2.3 attempts per game.
Muscala was signed just days before Oklahoma City brought in Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and Chris Paul, and told the Thunder’s Nick Gallo that the team gave him the option to honor his commitment or pursue other opportunities. Muscala chose to stay.
I’m super fortunate to be here. You just keep learning and growing. That’s the beauty of an NBA season, just taking it one day at a time and seeing that growth throughout the year.
Muscala’s role this year will likely be as a back up to Danilo Gallinari (who is facing his own questions about just how long he’s actually going to be in Oklahoma City).
He is a better finisher around the rim than Patterson (60.3 percent on 58 attempts in the restricted area to Patterson’s 52.6 percent on 38 attempts per Brett Dawson of The Athletic) and fans should look for him to fill a key-scoring role on the Thunder’s second team this season.
