Philadelphia 76ers: The real importance of Mike Muscala

In just his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers, stretch big Mike Muscala is proving to be invaluable member of their rotation.

Following the offseason departure of Ersan Ilyasova and the failed pursuit of Nemanja Bjelica, the acquisition of Mike Muscala was of significant importance to the Philadelphia 76ers.

As a stretch big with the ability to play at both the 4 and 5 spots, Muscala’s ability to simulate some of what Ilyasova provided was clearly an offseason priority for the Sixers’ front office.

However, with the recent acquisition of Jimmy Butler and the resulting loss of not only Robert Covington, but also stretch 4 Dario Saric, Muscala’s presence moving forward is only more invaluable.

After spending his first five seasons in the league with the Atlanta Hawks, Muscala has gradually developed his terrific fit with the modern-day NBA, highlighted by last season hitting at a 37.2 percent clip from 3-point range.

Thus far for the Sixers, Muscala has shot at a respectable 35.1 percent clip on a career-high 4.6 attempts per game.

Muscala’s value to the Sixers was never more apparent than during their win Friday, a 117-111 victory on the road against the Detroit Pistons.

With All-Star center Joel Embiid missing his first game of the season due to rest, Muscala filled in more than admirably, posting 18 points in 30 minutes, which featured hitting on 4-of-9 attempts from long range.

Just as impressively, the 6’11” Muscala registered three blocked shots in his role coming off the bench behind temporary starter Amir Johnson.

Given the importance of the win, Muscala’s performance certainly didn’t go unnoticed, as Butler encapsulated following the game:

"“We need Mike being that way on the defensive end, taking and making the open shot on the offensive end. He was huge for us. He’s not scared to get in there, challenge shots. We love him for that. We really, really appreciate him because if Jo’s not in there to do it, someone has to.”"

Following this outing, the 27-year-old Muscala is now averaging 8.4 points and 43.8 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game. As Butler alluded to, Muscala has not been afraid to get in and do plenty of the dirty work.

Through 21 appearances, Muscala currently averages 9.6 box-outs per 36 minutes, which leads the team.

While it’s just a small sample size, the numbers are indicating that Muscala’s presence on the floor is having a positive correlation to the success of the team. Thus far, the Sixers are 8-2 when Muscala has played at least 25 minutes, and a perfect 4-0 when he has played at 30 minutes.

For his part, while he admits there has been a transition phase in terms of adapting to his new surrounds, Muscala is happy with how he is progressing, in particular on the defensive end of the floor:

"“I’ve tried to work on my movement on the perimeter, being able to guard perimeter players and switching like that. The 5 was what I played in college and most of my life, so I do naturally feel more comfortable there.“Having Joel behind me when I’m at the 4 is a treat, because he’s such a great rim protector. I think knowing that helps a lot of our perimeter defense.”"

So while their roster is far from a finished product, the Sixers will be safe in the knowledge that they have a more than reliable option in Mike Muscala in the frontcourt moving forward.