12/11/2023 0 Comments Best lamb chops atlantaAsked the biggest lesson he has learned from his career, he didn't hesitate. He's playing in the Twin Cities Pro Am this summer to stay in shape. He turned 32 this month and speaks with a veteran's perspective and clarity. "What are teams going to find valuable from me as a pro player and what should I work on to make that happen? Sometimes that can skew your game in a way that might change your game." "It's fun to view basketball from a business lens too," he said. Muscala devoted one offseason in Atlanta to extending his shooting range. Centers must either be forces at the rim or three-point shooters in the modern game. He evolved his skills after recognizing the game was changing around him. From Atlanta to Philadelphia, then Los Angeles (the Clippers for 24 hours before traded to the Lakers) and Oklahoma City and Boston. He kept improving as he moved from one team to the next. He played his first three seasons on non-guaranteed contracts. When injuries decimated their front court later that season, the Hawks brought Muscala to the NBA. The Hawks didn't think he was ready as a rookie so the team sent him to play in Spain. Muscala has tripled that by overcoming doubts.ĭallas selected him in the second round (44 th overall) in 2013 and then traded him on draft night to Atlanta. The average career length for NBA second-round picks is 3.3 seasons, according to STATS, Inc. What followed is a lesson in perseverance. Muscala ultimately picked Bucknell and put together a decorated career that included two trips to the NCAA tournament. There also were clips of Muscala sitting on the bench cheering for teammates. The video showed zero dunks but featured a handful of shots that Muscala missed because his dad felt it was more important to note that his son got himself open for the shot. His dad made perhaps the most unconventional recruiting highlight video ever the previous summer to send to Division I coaches. Muscala was selected third-team all-metro as a senior at Roseville in 2009. "Being a late bloomer, I guess," he said. His longevity is a testament to his ability to adapt, make himself valuable as a role player and overcome long odds just to reach the NBA, let alone survive for a decade. He will soon be an 11-year veteran almost exclusively as a backup post player who has averaged 15 minutes and 6.2 points per game and earned close to $25 million in salary in his career. Muscala is approaching his 11 th NBA season, which deserves to be repeated slowly for emphasis. ![]() "If you get traded," he said, "that means teams value you as an asset." His official tally of teams is six (eight if you count trade pitstops) after being shipped from Boston to Washington in late June. The Roseville native treats every day in the NBA as a blessing, even the hard ones. He has been traded five more times since then, most recently in June, which certifies him as a basketball nomad.Īsked Monday night how many teams he has played for, Muscala smiled. ![]() Mike Muscala was traded on his first night as an NBA player.
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