Now that his first season with the OKC Thunder is over, it is time to look at how Mike Muscala went – season and contract grades.
Mike Muscala signed a two year deal with the OKC Thunder prior to the 2019-20 season, the second year being a player option. The deal almost cost the Thunder the services of Nerlens Noel, before he had a change of heart and re-signed with the team.
The first part of the season did not pan out for Muscala and the Thunder as they would have hoped. They tried Muscala with various lineups over Noel, but Muscala struggled with his outside shot.
Mike Muscala (12 PTS) connects from downtown before the halftime buzzer! #ThunderUp 56#FearTheDeer 50
— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2019
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 10 PTS, 3 AST, 2 STL
Giannis: 11 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST pic.twitter.com/OkUFgcyFdW
Muscala played more than 11 minutes in six of the first 12 games. The Thunder went 2-4 in these games. Muscala went 8-of-34 in this time, which is good for only 23.5 percent. He was 1-of-19 in his first seven games which is only 5.2 percent.
Mike Muscala played the next man up role perfectly with the OKC Thunder.
Once the Thunder’s rotations settled, Muscala got most of his playing time when either Noel or starting center Steven Adams was out through injury. He put his early-season struggles behind him and learned the systems which allowed him to play better the longer the season went on.
He even started a couple of games when both the preferred, specialist centers were out. Muscala showed what is possible when you leave it all out on the court. He had come back from the concussion protocol to start, which typified the attitude of the OKC Thunder this season.