Tag: Mike Muscala

Thunder future power rankings: Breaking down the roster and assets

See Thunder’s future power rankings of individual players on the roster and the impact that they’ll have with the team moving forward.

When ESPN published its annual future power rankings in May, the Oklahoma City Thunder fared moderately well.

They finished 19th overall but did better in individual categories: The Thunder finished first in draft picks, tied for first in salary and was top-10 in management.

That shows the players are lacking but the foundation is there.

Who of their current players will be part of the foundation of the future, though? These future power rankings take a look at their current class and the first-round draft picks of 2021 that could be available to the Thunder this season, depending on how the NBA draft lottery turns out.

Future draft capital and 2021 second-round draft picks are not included.

Mike Muscala moves down depth chart as Thunder prioritize youth

Mark Daigneault said that Mike Muscala’s role “is going to look, at least initially here, more like what it’s looked like the last eight games.”

In the eight Oklahoma City Thunder games since the All-Star break, center Mike Muscala has only appeared in one. In that game, Al Horford, Darius Bazley, Lu Dort and Theo Maledon were all out, which forced rotation changes. Muscala had eight points in 12 minutes.

Outside that, he hasn’t appeared for the Thunder in the second half of the season. Head coach Mark Daigneault said that this is the new expectation for the veteran.

“There may be times where we’re calling on him, I’m not calling that out of the question,” Daigneault said, “but I would say if I’m being fully honest, that it’s going to look, at least initially here, more like what it’s looked like the last eight games.”

Daigneault said that the team discussed this change with Muscala during the All-Star break.

“That’s been communicated with Mike and that’s been a collaborative conversation,” he said. “Mike understands where we’re at. He’s the ultimate professional.”

Muscala has had the best season of his career. His 9.7 points per game are the most he has averaged over his eight seasons, and he’s shooting 37% from 3 while grabbing 3.8 boards in 18.4 minutes of play. The stretch-5 style added another dimension to the Thunder bench.

But now that there are fewer than 30 games remaining on the Oklahoma City schedule, the Thunder are going to put even more of a premium on developing their young players.

“We’re focused on development throughout the whole season and exploring the roster throughout the whole season, but as we enter kind of the last [weeks], we’re going to be continuing to look at younger players and continuing to really focus on the development of guys that need these minutes in a dire way in order to improve,” Daigneault said.

That leaves Muscala on the sidelines. He will be a free agent after this season and will almost certainly be able to earn more than the $2.3 million player option he accepted last offseason. He has played well for Oklahoma City.

It’s safe to assume the Thunder were willing to listen to offers for the center ahead of the trade deadline, but either nothing was enticing enough or no serious talks ever developed.

With Muscala willing to take to the bench, that opens the door for more minutes for bigs Moses Brown, Isaiah Roby, Aleksej Pokusevski and the newly acquired Tony Bradley, once he joins the Thunder.

With all those bodies trying to fit through the door, it makes sense that Muscala gets left out.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=443536,443500,443478]

[mm-video type=video id=01f1n7js5x6j65y3dd playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f1n7js5x6j65y3dd/01f1n7js5x6j65y3dd-4659e7c447135835c7133ed7d6d3ffcd.jpg]

Thunder have received calls on 4 players as deadline nears, per Woj

The OKC Thunder have received calls about George Hill, Mike Muscala, Kenrich Williams and Justin Jackson as the trade deadline approaches.

It continues to sound like the Oklahoma City Thunder will be active at the trade deadline. In a recent episode of “The Woj Pod,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski listed four Thunder players who have garnered interest from teams around the league.

“Oklahoma City has got a number of guys who they’re going to be able to, either now or after the season, move on from: George Hill, Kenrich Williams, Mike Muscala, Justin Jackson — I know they’re getting calls on all of those guys,” Wojnarowski said.

“I think they’re going to probably move at least one of those guys on here in the next week.”

For weeks, it has been expected that Hill would be traded, though he has another year on his contract that is not fully guaranteed, so the Thunder could hold onto him if they wish.

Muscala’s contract expires at the end of the season. He is only owed $2.3 million, so he would be easy for a team looking for a stretch-five to take.

He may actually be the most likely of this group to be traded. Muscala has only played one of the five games since the All-Star break as the Thunder evaluate young bigs including Aleksej Pokusevski, Isaiah Roby, Moses Brown and Darius Bazley.

Williams is probably the least likely, as he has two years remaining on his contract after this season. He has played very well for Oklahoma City, and as his salary is only $2 million per season, it’s easy to speculate that the Thunder would have to receive a very good offer to move him.

Jackson will be a restricted free agent after this season and can be issued a qualifying offer of $7 million, so his movement would depend on whether the Thunder consider him a potential part of a future rotation.

The trade deadline is Thursday.

[lawrence-related id=443249,443198]

[mm-video type=video id=01f114fmj8713e36j7 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f114fmj8713e36j7/01f114fmj8713e36j7-7b4b96f9be2cb3cd7a28eee6ffc7ffdc.jpg]

An ode to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 33 in OKC’s win over San Antonio

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder closed out the first half of the season with a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

A dribble to his left. A dribble to his right. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander backs up, sizing up the San Antonio Spurs defender in front of him.

A drive down low with a change of speed. A spin here. A pivot there.

Help defense collapses around Gilgeous-Alexander for his finishing ability, yet is wary of his ability to kick it out.

Gilgeous-Alexander ducks underneath the defender and uses his length to put the ball up to the hoop.

Right hand? Bang. Left side? Same. Floater? Yup. Using the glass? Of course.

The third-year Oklahoma City Thunder guard is taking ownership of San Antonio. Barely a week after scoring 42 against them, he dropped another 33 points on Thursday night to help the Thunder run to a 107-102 comeback victory and end the first half of the season strong.

His scoring variation above wasn’t exaggerated. I present to you the incredible finishing skills of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with some help from Thunder Film Room and Boomtown Hoops, a pair of must-follow Twitter accounts for OKC fans.

The Spurs were more afraid of him scoring down low than they were of leaving other players open. It was for good reason.

But they often paid for it.

Muscala, who made the 3 in the clip above, finished with 18 points and four 3-pointers. Kenrich Williams, who got the dish down low, had nine points on 4-for-6 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with eight assists in addition to his 11-for-19 shooting.

“Every really good guard has that in their game — being able to survey and do multiple things at the same time,” he said. “Survey the court, keep their guy on their hip, keep their dribble alive and extend plays.”

That bench scoring was important in keeping up with the Spurs, who have been one of the best bench scoring teams in the league for two decades.

Muscala and Williams helped the Thunder not vomit points when bench units were on the court. Their combined 27 points were enough to keep up with the Spurs’ 40 bench points.

The Thunder starters did the rest.

They forced a ton of turnovers. The Spurs average an NBA-best 11.2 turnovers per game. They had 19 against Oklahoma City.

Point guard Dejounte Murray had five, forward DeMar DeRozan had four and center Jakob Poeltl had three.

This helped the Thunder kickstart a run in the third quarter. After trailing by 14 following the first possession of the second half, Oklahoma City embarked on a 23-6 run to get back in the game.

“We were aggressive. Some ball screen coverage, just trying to put them on their heels a little bit more instead of letting them come off and dictate what they wanted to do,” Muscala said. “That was a reason for some of those turnovers. Just trying to force them into some decisions.”

The Thunder went on a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to get a lead, but the Spurs immediately took it back.

Gilgeous-Alexander then checked in.

He assisted a Williams dunk. He assisted a Muscala 3. He hit a shot in the paint. It was another 7-0 run in a manner of 1:50, and it was a lead the Thunder did not relinquish.

When the Spurs cut it close, Gilgeous-Alexander pulled this.

It was a bounce-back from the last two games for both Gilgeous-Alexander and the team.

The guard had not scored fewer than 20 points in consecutive games since Dec. 31-Jan. 4. Every single time he had scored less than 20 points since Jan. 13, he had followed it with a 30-point performance — until this past week, when he scored 13 in a loss to the Denver Nuggets and 15 in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

He was back on his horse with a 33-point outing against the Spurs.

The Thunder outscored San Antonio 57-41 in the second half to overcome a 14-point deficit. That’s more of the team we have seen this year — fighting back after falling down.

Over the first half of the season, that’s the image the Thunder have created. Now 15-21, OKC took down a Spurs team that entered the night 18-13 and in sixth place in the Western Conference.

They continue to be too good to tank.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks reviews Thunder’s trade possibilities at deadline

With the NBA trade deadline approaching, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reviewed the OKC Thunder’s situations with veterans George Hill, Mike Muscala and Trevor Ariza.

It seems crazy, but the NBA trade deadline is already less than a month away.

March 25 is the final day teams will be allowed to make trades. That means that the Oklahoma City Thunder lineup could be looking a bit different over the next 30 days.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks took a dive into the needs of each team and their most-likely trade possibilities. Oklahoma City, who is not expected to be a serious playoff contender despite their competitive play over the first two months, should be selling.

Marks listed George Hill, Mike Muscala and Trevor Ariza as three players likely to be moved.

Hill makes just under $10 million this season, and only $1.2 million of his $10 million contract next year is guaranteed. He’s a good 3-point shooter, good leader and has years of playoff experience. Marks wrote:

“Despite the injury, Hill checks the boxes on what a playoff team looks for: veteran leadership, playoff experience (127 career games), can start or come off the bench and has a contract that fits within the budget.”

Additionally, the Thunder would probably like to keep Theo Maledon’s minutes high as the second-round draft pick emerges as a solid NBA player. He has been starting in place of Hill since the veteran injured his thumb.

Even with the injury, teams should come calling about Hill.

Muscala accepted his $2.3 million player option for this season, and his production has made that price tag look silly low. He is a stretch-5 that can drain 3s, and Marks noted that the Thunder do not have to take back salary, so they could shed him for a second-round pick if they so choose.

“Muscala is an under-the-radar trade prospect because of his ability to stretch the floor and most important his $2.3 million contract.”

Ariza did not join the Thunder after Oklahoma City acquired him in a three-team trade. Marks wrote that he’s more likely to get bought out than traded.

“The forward is more likely to get bought out of his contract than traded. He is owed $4.3 million at the time of the trade deadline.”

Oklahoma City’s decision-making process will be aided by the enormous trade exceptions they hold. From trades this offseason, they have exceptions worth $27.6 million, $19.6 million and $7.4 million.

A rebuilding team is unlikely to use such large exceptions, though they could use it for an expensive player like Blake Griffin if their trade partner attaches enough assets on top of the deal. Additionally, they could simply use them to match lower salaries and not use the full exception.

Notably, Marks left center Al Horford off his trade review for the Thunder. That implies that the team either isn’t actively shopping him or is not expected to this season.

With two more years on Horford’s contract, Oklahoma City has time to work out a deal for him during the offseason, if they so choose.

Trade season is once again here. After a frenetic offseason, will general manager Sam Presti and the Thunder make any moves this month?

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

Danilo Gallinari once went shoeless in Thunder 3-point contest — and won

It’s not quite Larry Bird, but last year’s Thunder shooting contests were typically a question of who’s coming in second — even when Danilo Gallinari wasn’t wearing shoes.

When Danilo Gallinari set an Atlanta Hawks record by making 10 3-pointers on Wednesday against the Boston Celtics, his former teammate had a bit of a flashback.

At the end of Oklahoma City Thunder practices last season, players including Gallinari and Mike Muscala took part in 3-point shooting contests. Most of the time, it was Gallinari winning.

“He was a really fun guy to play with, a great teammate, and I definitely miss having him around — but not those shooting games, because, uh, he was pretty consistently winning those games,” Muscala said. “So it’s kinda nice not having him around this year for that.”

He was dominant. Current Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, who was an assistant last season, told a story that’s almost reminiscent of Larry Bird winning the real shootout back in 1988 when he didn’t even take off his warmup jacket.

“One day, he didn’t think they were playing, and he walked off the court and he took his shoes off. Then they yelled at him, they were like, ‘Gallo, you not playing today?'” Daigneault recalled.

“So he came back — but he never put his shoes back on. And he won the game barefoot.”

Who’s coming in second?

Gallinari now returns to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder for the first time since the sign-and-trade that sent him to Atlanta.

Injuries cost him 12 of the first 14 games of the season, and he played no more than 20 minutes in the next eight games, so he hasn’t posted his usual scoring averages. He’s averaging 11.8 points while shooting 42.1% from 3, both of which are obviously beefed up by the Wednesday game. With that said, he’s averaging just 20.8 minutes per contest, and his per-36 numbers aren’t much lower than those of last season.

Coming off his 38-point performance, the fourth-highest total of his career, maybe he’s catching fire.

“Gallo’s a heck of a scorer, a heck of a shooter,” Muscala said. “He went off last night … hopefully he has a cooler hand.”

The Thunder and Hawks are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. Central Time.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

‘No excuses’: After unusual 24 hours, Thunder fall to Grizzlies

The OKC Thunder’s unusual flight changed their schedule, but they did not use that as an excuse for their loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had what one might call a “normal” loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game the Thunder mounted a massive comeback. They didn’t blow a big lead. Those are how the bulk of their losses have gone this season. On Wednesday night … well, it was just a simple 122-113 defeat.

The 24 hours leading up to the game was anything but simple.

The Thunder’s flight was delayed due to the awful weather in Oklahoma City. They traveled on Wednesday and went straight to the arena, which they arrived at around 6:15 p.m. for the 8 p.m. tipoff.

“That’s the first time I’ve traveled the day of the game in the NBA,” center Mike Muscala said.

Muscala said legs were tired at the beginning of the game before he got a burst. Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was coming off four straight missed games, said his legs were tired at the beginning as well.

But with that, the Thunder didn’t want to use the unusual day as an excuse for the loss.

“Shai told us before the game no excuses,” Muscala said.

Gilgeous-Alexander relayed the message in the postgame press conference:

“The circumstances were a little bit different tonight, but it’s our job. It’s what we have to do,” he said. “We gotta play to a certain standard and a certain level.”

This was just one of the potential excuses they didn’t want to hear after falling to Memphis.

The Grizzlies took advantage of the absence of Al Horford, who was resting on the second night of a back-to-back. Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 12 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. Ja Morant had a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

Memphis had 52 points in the paint, more than twice as many as the Thunder’s 24.

Head coach Mark Daigneault wouldn’t use Horford’s rest to give his bigs an out for the defensive performance.

“Al’s a really good player. Really reliable player, great defensive player,” Daigneault started. “Not trying to take anything way from him, but we’ve been without Al in back-to-backs before and defended much better than we did tonight.”

As costly as the points in the paint was the fouling. Oklahoma City averages 18.1 fouls per game, the fourth-fewest in the league, and on average the opponent attempts 18.9 free throws, the third-fewest. On Tuesday, the Thunder committed 25 fouls, allowing the Blazers to attempt 33 free throws. Portland made 26 from the stripe.

All five Grizzlies starters scored at least 15 points, four attempted at least six free throws, and three — Valanciunas, Grayson Allen and Kyle Anderson — finished with at least 20 points.

After ending the third quarter down by only one point, the Thunder gave up 36 points in the fourth. The Blazers attempted 18 free throws in that frame.

Oklahoma City had its best game from deep of the season, going 19-for-41, a 46.3% clip, but Portland’s percentage was essentially identical as they hit 12 of 26, 46.2%.

“If we shoot the ball well, it’s great, but if we can’t get stops … it doesn’t mean much,” Muscala said.

The Thunder struggled to get stops but they also didn’t protect the ball particularly well on offense, committing 18 turnovers. Anderson had five steals on his own.

The best part of the game for the Thunder was Gilgeous-Alexander’s return. He was solid, scoring 22 points, and while he wasn’t as electric as normal, the guard got to the rim, had six assists to just one turnover, and after the game said his left knee was feeling 100% after he had missed a week of games.

“We didn’t make enough shots, and nights like that happen,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It is what it is, but I think we gave the effort and I’m pleased with that.”

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

Daigneault gives injury updates on SGA, Mike Muscala, Isaiah Roby

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault gave updates on the injuries of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mike Muscala and Isaiah Roby before the Lakers game.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave updates on his team’s injury situation shortly before tipoff against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

To lay out the changes from Monday: Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out Wednesday. Center Mike Muscala has passed concussion protocol and will return to play. Isaiah Roby will be a gametime decision.

Gilgeous-Alexander re-aggravated his left knee, which he sprained in the Feb. 1 game against the Houston Rockets. Daigneault said there was a play in the game against the Lakers on Monday in which the guard tweaked it again.

Daigneault said there isn’t serious concern about the knee.

“(He) finished the game, so it’s not overly serious — similar to the first time he missed a game,” he said. “We’re just being really cautious with him. It was just a re-aggravation of the same thing. But again, not a big deal.”

Muscala has passed concussion protocol, Daigneault said. The backup center took an elbow in the face against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday and missed the game Monday.

Muscala is averaging 9.7 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 39.3% from 3.

Roby’s status will be decided during warmups on Wednesday. He has suffered from right foot soreness and has missed the last two games for the Thunder. Daigneault specified that the issue is a toe.

“He’s gotta go through the warmup on the court to see how that toe feels,” Daigneault said. “He’s obviously really close if he’s not available.”

Roby is averaging 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game

The Thunder starting lineup will be Hamidou Diallo, Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, Darius Bazley and Al Horford.

Backup guard Theo Maledon remains in concussion protocol.

Lakers star big Anthony Davis will be out for the second game in a row with an Achilles injury.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=441888,441882]

[vertical-gallery id=441858]

Thunder big Mike Muscala suffered concussion in Timberwolves game

OKC Thunder center Mike Muscala suffered a concussion against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday and is in concussion protocol.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that backup center Mike Muscala has entered concussion protocol.

Muscala was elbowed in the face early in the fourth quarter in the 120-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Minnesota rookie Jaden McDaniels was trying to create space to drive around Muscala but instead hit Muscala hard. An offensive foul was called and there was no technical or flagrant foul assessed.

Muscala was subbed out of the game and did not return. He finished with 22 points on 7- for-12 shooting, second on the team to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The center now enters concussion protocol. The Oklahoma City press release said there is no predetermined timetable for his return.

Muscala is averaging career-highs in several offensive categories this season, including his 9.7 points, 43.9% field goal shooting and 39.3% 3-point shooting. His shooting percentages are the highest of his career even while he’s taking the most attempts he has, with 7.5 shots per game, 5.3 of which are behind the arc.

He is averaging 18.2 minutes over 21 appearances.

The Thunder did not provide an update for Isaiah Roby, who missed the game Saturday with foot soreness. Guard George Hill remains out after undergoing a thumb surgery.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

[vertical-gallery id=441797]

Thunder score franchise-record 83 points in 1st half vs. Timberwolves

The OKC Thunder scored 83 points in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, setting a franchise record.

That Oklahoma City Thunder loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday was just a tease. With perimeter players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon and Lu Dort back from the injury list on Saturday, OKC posted a franchise record 83 points in the first half.

They played fast on offense and in transition, moved the ball well, shot extremely well and forced turnovers.

The Thunder scored the first 10 points of the game. By the end of the first quarter, they had 43 points, the most they had scored in an opening frame since Feb. 22, 2018, when they posted 44 against the Sacramento Kings.

Oklahoma City didn’t slow down in the second quarter, scoring 40 more points to take an 83-62 lead into the half.

Eighty-three points. Franchise record.

Where to start?

Let’s go with transition play. The Thunder had 32 fast break points. They scored 10 points off five turnovers in the first quarter and then forced two more turnovers in the second quarter. They seemingly looked to run every time downcourt, and it served them well.

Backup center Mike Muscala was perfect in the half, making all seven shots and scoring 22 points. Most impressively, this wasn’t even from his 3-point shooting. He went 6-for-6 from the free throw line and had two and-ones.

Normally a threat from 3, Muscala had as many three-point plays from getting fouled at the rim as he did from beyond the arc.

Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists while forward Darius Bazley had 11 points and four rebounds.

Kenrich Williams, again in the starting lineup in place of center Al Horford, had eight points, as did Lu Dort.

All nine Thunder players who appeared scored. As a team, they shot 60.4% from the field, 52.6% from 3 and 78.9% from the free throw line.

Perhaps more impressive than every Thunder player scoring is that every Thunder player except one tallied at least one assist. After tying a season-high 28 assists on Friday, Oklahoma City put itself on pace to smash that number with 22 in the first half on Saturday.

That excellent passing and ballhanding resulted in only three turnovers, one of which was a 24-second shot clock violation.

It’s an understatement to say this was the best half of Oklahoma City’s season. The Thunder dominated. The Timberwolves couldn’t do a thing to stop them.

Eighty-three points.

Tune into the second half now.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!