Mike Muscala was rated as a first-round prospect on the Hawks’ draft board last year, a real possibility to be selected with one of their two first-round picks.
They chose other players.
Instead of the four-year center from Bucknell, the Hawks traded up one spot and took Lucas Nogueira, a raw 7-foot center from Brazil, with the 16th pick. Then the team selected Dennis Schroder, an inexperienced point guard from Germany with the 17th pick. And so the 2013 NBA draft continued through the first round. Hawks officials were stunned when Muscala was still available into the second round. They fervently attempted to move up and finally orchestrated a trade with the Mavericks, as part of the Nogueira deal, and took Muscala with the 44th pick.
They were not about to choose any other player.
While Schroder signed to play for the Hawks, Nogueira and Muscala went to Spain to continue their development in the ACB League. There Nogueira would stay. Muscala would not.
Damaged by injuries at the center position, the Hawks signed Muscala in March after 20 games overseas. He finished the season and is back for another. Nogueira was jettisoned to the Raptors as part of the Lou Williams trade this summer.
Hawks officials have high hopes that Muscala will continue his development and have been impressed with his progress. He is part of a crowded frontcourt that features six other big men in Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, Pero Antic, Mike Scott and rookie Adreian Payne. There will be a battle for minutes, and the rotation behind Horford and Millsap is far from determined.
Muscala had 10 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in 23 minutes of Monday’s 93-87 exhibition win over the Pelicans on Monday.
One of the reasons the 6-11 Muscala was so attractive to the Hawks was his analytics scores. The complex formulas, statistical models and data-centric philosophies are becoming prevalent in the NBA as a way to measure players. The mountains of information available can track everything from how far a player runs during a game to shooting percentages in all number of situations. One NBA team had Muscala ranked as the top analytical player in the draft. The Hawks had him near their top 10.
“A lot of it was they didn’t know if I could play because I came from a mid-major,” Muscala said of the teams that passed on him. “I think a lot of teams, maybe, didn’t value the analytics or thought there weren’t as legitimate as if I were at a bigger school, which is reasonable playing against lower competition.”
The Hawks were one of two teams Muscala met with during the predraft camp in Chicago. He called his meeting with the Kings “awkward.” However, the time spent with Hawks officials was “really down to earth.” He said he had a good vibe about the team from the start. He predraft experience including many individual workouts, including two with the Hawks.
“We weren’t playing against Big Ten or ACC schools all the time,” Muscala said of his time at Bucknell. “But relatively, the way defenses played me all the time with double-teams and as the focal point, they played me difficult, too. In the draft, there were a lot of workouts, and I felt like I had to prove myself every time out. I still feel like I have that chip on my shoulder now.”
In 20 NBA games, Muscala averaged 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes. He spent much of his summer working out in Atlanta and coach Mike Budenholzer has noticed a difference — but there is still work to be done.
“There is a little bit of a calming and confidence-type growth,” Budenholzer said. “He plays so hard, which is a huge skill. It sounds easy but it’s important, and it’s going to allow him a chance to be good. You also have to have a confidence and a poise when you are playing really hard, which is not easy and it kind of counterintuitive. I think he’s calmed down a little bit. He’s confident. He knows how to play hard and how to still function on the court and get positive things.
“Playing without fouling, screening, he still has a lot of areas in understanding the nuances of the offense and ball movement and trusting the system and the teammates. He’s still got a ways to go.”
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