Mike Muscala: The Thunder Fan Favorite
Mike Muscala has committed to Oklahoma City every time he's been given a chance.
In July of 2019, the big man had just come off of what was maybe his worst season as a pro with Philadelphia.
The Thunder were coming off a tough playoff loss to the Portland Trailblazers which capped off an incredibly disappointing season. Sam Presti was looking to bolster the roster for stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
His first moves of the offseason were moves to improve the second unit. Presti brought in Muscala and Alec Burks to provide some depth and scoring.
The next week, however, Paul George requested a trade to the LA Clippers. The writing was on the wall for Russell Westbrook, too, as Oklahoma City was embracing a full on rebuild.
Because of the odd situation, both Muscala and Burks were allowed by the Thunder to look elsewhere and think twice about their contract with the Thunder. Burks, who wanted to be on a contender, signed with the Golden State Warriors. That season in Golden State revitalized his career and landed him a contract with the Knicks, where he's now one of their top scorers off the bench.
Muscala, however, elected to keep his commitment to the Thunder and stay in Oklahoma City.
In Muscala's first year with the Thunder, he experienced surprising team success as Chris Paul led OKC to the playoffs. Muscala didn't play a huge role, but was constantly brought up as a great mentor and teammate.
In 2020, his ninth season in the league, Muscala had his best season of his career. The stretch forward averaged 9.7 points per game off the bench, including 37% from deep. In a season where the Thunder really struggled with on-court production, Muscala was always a consistent player. Fans grew to love his dedication to Oklahoma City on and off the court.
Through the rebuild, the tanking, the blowout losses and countless injuries, Muscala remained locked in on helping the Thunder in any possible way he could. When he played, he gave full effort and was incredibly efficient. When he sat, he never complained.
Muscala, known all over Oklahoma City as "Moose," had another big decision to make last summer. Thunder fans couldn't blame him for wanting to go elsewhere if he chose to do so, as Moose is the type of player that every contender wishes they had.
Then, this happened.
Muscala vocalized in his exit interview how much Oklahoma City means to him, and let everyone know this is exactly where he wants to be. He teared up describing how much the fans and the city mean to him.
While he had won the hearts of Oklahomans well before that interview, he continued to climb the ranks of Thunder fan favorites. Oklahoma City and Mike Muscala were a match made in heaven.
This season, Muscala continues to put his head down and go to work. Some games, he sees young players from the Blue enter the game before him. In other matchups, he plays significant minutes. No matter his role, Moose is always ready to be the best at it. Muscala is the ultimate team player, and he will always be a Thunder legend.
Regardless of the situation, Muscala remains consistent, as he is the prototype player of commitment and character that Presti values. He may even hit a few game winners here and there.
On an extremely young Thunder team, Muscala is important both on and off the court.
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