Shabazz Muhammad has an NBA-ready skillset. (Photo Credit: SportsAngle.com)
Here we continue to look at the top prospects for the 2013 NBA Draft. Today we examine:
Shabazz Muhammad, SF, UCLA, 6’6”, 225 lbs
2012-13 Collegiate Stat Line: (all stats courtesy of ESPN.com)
17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 44% field goals, 37% 3-point field goals, 71% free throws
The Skinny:
One of the most highly sought-after recruits in the 2012 class, Shabazz Muhammad entered his freshman season at UCLA with enormous hype surrounding himself and his teammates. While UCLA had a solid season (Pac-12 regular-season champions, lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 conference tournament championship game) the Bruins were not the formidable force many expected, especially with the best freshman in the country. Muhammad left his mark on UCLA, although whether it’s a good or bad mark is up for debate.
Strengths:
Muhammad has a wide array of scoring capabilities. He has soft hands, which opens up the paint for short hooks and layups. He’s shifty inside the lane and can work around defenders, especially when he has a slight size advantage down low. When he has an opportunity, he has the explosiveness to rise for the an emphatic dunk. He doesn’t dominate in the paint, but he’s comfortable enough inside to do work.
At 6’6”, Muhammad doesn’t spend a lot of time in the paint, however, as most of his scoring opportunities come from mid-rage jumpers and three-point shots. He enjoys spending time around the paint as opposed to inside of it. He can work off the dribble put prefers to spot up for this jumpers. If his feet are set, the ball is going up and it goes in the basket with consistency.
Muhammad is a prolific scorer with a variety of abilities to put the ball in the basket. He has a nose for the rim and has the confidence in his stroke to let it fly whenever an opportunity presents itself. You want a scoring option, he’s your man.
Weaknesses:
One of the biggest flaws with Muhammad doesn’t involve his basketball skills at it. His attitude is something that could scare off some NBA teams from selecting the UCLA standout.
This was never more evident than in UCLA’s home game against Washington. On the final play of the game, UCLA needed a basket to win the game. Shabazz began calling for the ball, but point guard Larry Drew II took the ball himself and scored the winning basket at the buzzer. Rather than celebrate the victory with the rest of his team, Muhammad walked past the mob of teammates with a disgruntled look on his face. Shabazz wasn’t happy he wasn’t the one taking the deciding shot and wasn’t afraid to show it.
Muhammad’s attitude is also apparent when you look at his assist totals for the season. In 35 total games for UCLA this season, Muhammad totaled a whopping 27 assists, good for a 0.8 assist per game total. Combine this with his 1.6 turnovers per game average, Shabazz has a 1-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio. If Shabazz had no talented teammates, then the assists could possibly be overlooked (although they shouldn’t). However, this is not the case as the Bruins had one of the best recruiting classes in the country and one of the best teams in the Pac-12 this season. Make no mistake about it, Muhammad’s selfishness and attitude is one of the reasons UCLA wasn’t in national title contention at the end of the season.
Highlight Game:
Dec. 28 vs. Missouri (W 97-94 OT) 27 points, 10-for-19 field goals, 3-for-6 field goals, 4-for-5 free throws
As noted in the strengths sections, Shabazz is a terrific scorer who can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways. He showed this attribute in UCLA’s biggest win of the season as Missouri was ranked seventh in the nation at the time of this game. Shabazz showed off his soft hands around the basket and ability to shoot from all areas of the floor. Shooting 19 times in the game, it’s quite clear the Muhammad isn’t afraid to keep firing away, which shows confidence in his stroke.
Lowlight Game:
March 6 at Washington State (L 73-61) 14 points, 4-for-19 field goals, 2-for-11 3-point field goals, 4-for-6 free throws, three rebounds
Here’s where that confidence and willingness to fire at will can catch up with you, especially if you’re not a team player. Just like in the highlight game against Missouri, Muhammad launched 19 shot attempts, only this time he wasn’t connecting on his shots, yet he kept firing away. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. If you’re hitting your shots, keep firing away. If you’re not hitting and your team is losing, especially to inferior talent, you might want to hold back and spread the wealth. Shabazz didn’t do that in this game as made evident by his zero assists.
Potential Landing Spots:
Despite his obvious attitude and selfishness, NBA teams are going to be more interested in his scoring ability and overall potential as a player. DeMarcus Cousins managed to find a home in the NBA, Shabazz Muhammad won’t have any issues either. He’s go within the first five selections of the draft. If he doesn’t, it would be very surprising.
Teams That Make Sense:
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving is the star the Cavaliers were hoping he would become and Dion Waiters is emerging as of late. Another scoring threat would be a nice option for the Cavaliers at this point and Shabazz fits the mold well. Cleveland has a nice nucleus to build on, but taking some of the pressure off of Irving is something the Cavaliers will want to do in the 2013 NBA Draft.
New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans: Eric Gordon is never healthy it seems and the newly named Pelicans need some sort of scoring option to go along with Anthony Davis and his supporting cast (yes, this is now Anthony Davis’ team). While the egos of Gordon and Muhammad could easily clash, adding a little Shabazz (hold for laughter) to the Pelican lineup could makeup for the Austin Rivers selection last year.
Overall Synopsis:
While his attitude may get the best of him, Shabazz Muhammad’s scoring prowess is something at all the lottery teams in the 2013 NBA Draft obviously need. He’ll be a nice fit for whichever team drafts him, but he might want to work on his ego if he wants to get along with his professional team.