The Philadelphia 76ers’ new big man is well-positioned for a successful season.
Last season was the best one to date for Mike Muscala. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, all of which were career highs. He finally became an important part of the Hawks’ rotation, something that was a long time coming.
Now he enters the 2018-19 season donning a new uniform, joining the Philadelphia 76ers via trade over the summer. The Sixers, unlike the Hawks, will be competitive in the Eastern Conference. That doesn’t mean Muscala’s role will lessen, though.
The Sixers’ have a decent second unit, but depth is lacking. Outside Wilson Chandler and Markelle Fultz, their best proven entities are Muscala, Amir Johnson and T.J. McConnell. That’s a fine batch of players, but the margin for error (or injury) is razor-thin.
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We also know what lineups suit Brett Brown and the Sixers’ offense best. When Joel Embiid isn’t on the floor, the Sixers can thrive with four-out lineups centered around Ben Simmons. Ersan Ilyasova made that possible last season, and Muscala can assume that role this season.
The Sixers need spacing and Muscala is one of their best shooters. He’ll spend minutes at both the five and four spot, which should accumulate to more than 20 minutes per game. That’s more minutes on a better team — a significant but reasonable upgrade for someone of Muscala’s ilk.
I would argue that Muscala, relative to his talent, was underutilized in Atlanta last season. He deserved more minutes, but the Hawks were rebuilding, focusing their efforts toward young prospects trying to carve out an NBA opportunity.
John Collins saw his minutes go up post-Ilyasova trade, while Dewayne Dedmon provided a steadying force in the paint. Muscala was relegated to a bench role, which he shared with various reserves and G-Leaguers the Hawks were cycling through as the season progressed.
That won’t be the case in Philadelphia. Muscala will be locked into a role on a team looking to compete. He’ll play valuable minutes as a floor-spacing big with passing smarts and a willingness to move off the ball.
Muscala is a solid defender and brings far more value on the offensive end than Amir Johnson. That would make Muscala the best option for backup center minutes. He can also play power forward, presumably sharing the floor with Embiid.
As Zhaire Smith nurses his foot injury, the Sixers will need Wilson Chandler to spend most of his time at the three. That will open up minutes at the four, as well as the five, for Muscala.
After joining the Sixers at the buyout deadline last season, Ilyasova averaged 24.1 minutes per game. It’s reasonable to expect Muscala to take on those minutes, if not a little more.
He will average a career-high in minutes next season, and the counting stats might follow. Muscala is an extremely underrated reserve — one who isn’t getting nearly enough recognition from Sixers fans.
Expect Moose to turn some heads, starting with Brett Brown and the coaching staff. He will earn consistent minutes off the bench from day one. The only thing that could interrupt that is Dario Saric moving to the bench, which is a bridge we’ll cross when the time comes.