Oklahoma City Thunder center Byron Mullens and guard Mustafa Shakur have been re-assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, Oklahoma City’s NBA Development League affiliate, it was announced today. The assignments are the 41st and 42nd times this season that NBA players have been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate.
Mullens, who has appeared in 27 regular season games with the 66ers this season, rejoins the team for his third assignment of the season. During the regular season, Mullens averaged 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 31.5 minutes, scoring in double figures 23 times and recording five double-doubles. He scored a regular-season high 26 points in a 124-113 road loss to the Idaho Stampede on March 19. In three playoff games for the 66ers, Mullens averaged 14.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 25.7 minutes.
Selected by the Thunder with the 20th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Mullens has appeared in 13 games with Oklahoma City this season, scoring 14 points and collecting 10 rebounds in 54 minutes.
Shakur, a standout at Arizona, returns to the 66ers following an assignment on March 31, the day he was called up to the Thunder from the 66ers. In 47 regular season games, all starts, for the 66ers Shakur averaged 19.2 points, 6.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 37.8 minutes. During his tenure with the 66ers, Shakur scored in double figures in 44 games, recording a season-high 34 points in a 106-96 home victory over the Dakota Wizards on March 5. He dished out a season-high 14 assists on Jan. 28, in a 107-104 loss to the Iowa Energy in Tulsa. In three playoff games with Tulsa, Shakur averaged 20.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 37.3 minutes.
Currently in his second stint with the Thunder, Shakur was originally called-up by Oklahoma City on March 16, before being released on March 25.
