atljonesbro
04-11-2015, 04:00 PM
http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/131/files/2014/11/mike-muscala-nba-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks.jpg
With all the drama surrounding Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic involving their arrests and how it will affect the Hawks depth come playoff time, Mike Muscala is a guy who has really stepped up and most Hawks fans would agree has earned the back up center role from Pero Antic. Muscala has always had those flashes dating back toward the end of last season that he could be a solid player in the league and now that he's finally getting some real minutes he's starting to put it all together and show that on a consistent basis.
The main thing he brings to the team is his offense. For starters he's a good shooter from mid range and can step out and hit the 3 ball which are both extremely important in the Hawks offense. He's also great around the rim shooting a perfect 15-15 over the past 4 games. Here's a shot chart showing his past 4 games:
http://hawksquawk.net/community/uploads/monthly_04_2015/post-2289-0-55913800-1428726736.jpg
He also seems to have nice positioning on the offensive end and gets some timely offensive rebounds to extend possessions.
Where he struggles is on the defensive end, mostly because he often times gets out muscled when trying to defend a player or on the defensive glass. That's where Pero Antic is still important to the team. When facing a bigger guy Coach Bud can put Pero in the game to defend. Muscala is still a better defensive rebounder than Pero however. Despite his defensive woes I, and I'm sure most Hawks fan would also agree, believe that Mike Muscala brings more value to the team as a backup center than Pero Antic and think he can make an impact in the playoffs. Hard for him to do worse than Pero did vs the Pacers last season.
With all the drama surrounding Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic involving their arrests and how it will affect the Hawks depth come playoff time, Mike Muscala is a guy who has really stepped up and most Hawks fans would agree has earned the back up center role from Pero Antic. Muscala has always had those flashes dating back toward the end of last season that he could be a solid player in the league and now that he's finally getting some real minutes he's starting to put it all together and show that on a consistent basis.
The main thing he brings to the team is his offense. For starters he's a good shooter from mid range and can step out and hit the 3 ball which are both extremely important in the Hawks offense. He's also great around the rim shooting a perfect 15-15 over the past 4 games. Here's a shot chart showing his past 4 games:
http://hawksquawk.net/community/uploads/monthly_04_2015/post-2289-0-55913800-1428726736.jpg
He also seems to have nice positioning on the offensive end and gets some timely offensive rebounds to extend possessions.
Where he struggles is on the defensive end, mostly because he often times gets out muscled when trying to defend a player or on the defensive glass. That's where Pero Antic is still important to the team. When facing a bigger guy Coach Bud can put Pero in the game to defend. Muscala is still a better defensive rebounder than Pero however. Despite his defensive woes I, and I'm sure most Hawks fan would also agree, believe that Mike Muscala brings more value to the team as a backup center than Pero Antic and think he can make an impact in the playoffs. Hard for him to do worse than Pero did vs the Pacers last season.