When the Oklahoma City Thunder begin their season against thenew-look Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, it willofficially mark the start of Year 10 for veteran big man MikeMuscala.
And for the 31-year-old Muscala, this season is about a lot ofthings – improving as a player, OKC growing as a team, mentoringthe young core, and, most importantly, uniting people throughbasketball.
Before the official start of his 2022-23 season, Basketball Newshad the chance to catch up with Muscala. We talked about his uniquecharity initiative with PeacePlayers International, his role asa mentor on the youngest team in the league and the expectations hehas for his teammates’ development this season.
While at the Orlando Bubble in 2020, you were involvedwith a non-profit organization called PeacePlayers International.Can you tell us a little bit about your involvement with them,particularly while you were there?
Mike Muscala: “In the Bubble, I donated $100for each three we made. I first heard about them through a friend Iwent to college with at Bucknell. He told me about them probablyeight [or] nine years ago.
“I got to know one of their co-founders, Brendon [Tuohey]. Ijust feel like their mission was really cool – bringing peopletogether through basketball all around the world. I felt like [thethree-point pledge] was a cool way to be able to donate to them,[and] help fund some of their operations as they work in a lot ofU.S. cities like Detroit, [Los Angeles], and Brooklyn.”
(Note: Despite the Thunder only making 188 threes in 15games during the Bubble (which would equate to $18,800 indonations), Muscala ended up contributing $23,000 to thePeacePlayers organization.)
Mike Muscala. CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/vrecHtEqK4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 13, 2020
There are thousands of charities out there, why choosePeacePlayers?
Muscala: “I think it was just how specific itwas to basketball. I’ve been really fortunate to have met a lot ofpeople through basketball that I probably would not have metotherwise. The fact that they are focused on bringing peopletogether — especially in areas with a longstanding history ofdivide and conflict amongst people — I thought it was so cool thatyouth basketball [was being used] as a vehicle to help resolve someof those conflicts.”
From your experience working with this organization,have you seen some positive change come out of this?
Muscala: “Yeah, just seeing some of the studiesthey have run on what they have done. Hearing interviews from girlsbeing like, ‘I would have never played or gotten to know this othergirl had it not been for PeacePlayers, and now, we’re friends.’Just seeing stuff like that is so cool. Putting people together, tomeet one another [and] to become friends is cool.”
After all your success with the organization in thepast, you are now trying to continue your work with PeacePlayers in2022-23. What is your plan for donation this season?
Muscala: “My plan is to donate $100 for everyoffensive rebound we get this year, which is kind of similar to thethree-pointers made [pledge] that we did in the Bubble. Brendonsaid it was fun for them when we did that. And I just thought it’san area of focus for me, personally, and our team this year, so itwas a good way to tie all that together.”
Okay, why is offensive rebounding a focus for you andthe Thunder?
Muscala: “I think with an offensive rebound,[what it] signifies in terms of hard work and hustle, [is] startinganew, all that stuff. People love to see that in a game, and I justthought it could be something fun for us to do, somethingmotivating throughout the season.”
Last season, OKC finished 12th in offensive rebounds pergame. That's already a solid mark, but there is still always roomfor improvement. Does the team have any plans for increasing thatrate and, ultimately, the total of the donation?
Muscala: “Yeah, we’ve talked about it as ateam. We have some tactics that we focused on [and] practiced.Specific times to crash [and] get on the boards, especially[cutting] from the corners. With more threes being taken everygame, [there’s] more of those long rebounds.
"If you just cut with a purpose, [even] if you don’t get theball, [have] the awareness to go up and try to rebound. LikeNicolas Batum last year, I feel like he did a great job of cuttingand keeping possessions alive. That’s so deflating for a defense.Find creative ways, but also putting in that work. A lot of times,it's just [about] hustle and kind of a mindset; it’s something Iused to be pretty good at early in my career and something I wantto get back to [now].”
Last season, you finished 19th in the NBA in Dunks and Threes’ EPM metric, and you were one oftwo players 6-foot-10 or taller to shoot over 40% from three(All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was the other). You clearlycan still contribute at a high level, so why re-sign with arebuilding Thunder team instead of offering your services to apotential title contender?
Muscala: “This will be my fourth year with[Oklahoma City]. I really do believe in this team and thisorganization. It’s a young team, but I love all the players that Iget to play with, the coaching staff, [and all] the people in theorganization. What this team means to this city is special. Beingaround for this process has been fun for me. There are a lot ofgreat teams in the NBA. I’ve been fortunate to play for a few otherones, but I love what [Oklahoma City] stands for, and I’m justhappy to be here.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) June 6, 20212021 Thunder Player Rankings⚡️
#6. Mike Muscala
Moose had to be shut down midseason because a 7 footer hitting 4 or5 3s off the bench every game isn’t a wise way to end up with a Top5 draft pick.
Mike’s love of OKC and the fans here has endeared him to theThunder faithful. pic.twitter.com/F0N6WDotxi
You and Chet Holmgren are both from Minnesota, and partof your responsibility on this team is helping him (and the otheryoungsters) grow. How do you think your desire to mentor this newgeneration correlates with your desire to be so active in charitywork?
Muscala: “I think it's just [about] giving backto the game. You know, I want to coach when I’m done playing. Ithink that’s just the way to pay it forward. When I was a youngerplayer, I had older players that led by example, like Al Horford,Paul Millsap [and] Kyle Korver. Guys like that, showed me... whatfocus and consistency were all about.
“I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been more grateful forbasketball. I think everyone can relate to that, you know? As [we]get older, [we] appreciate the things that have gotten [us] to thispoint. As an older player now, it’s fun to still play the game, butalso [important to be] around for the young guys because soon, itwill be them in my position, giving back to even younger players.The cycle just goes on and on.”
It's a new year with new excitement and new hope. Howexcited are you to see the growth of guys like ShaiGilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and the rest of the youngcore?
Muscala: “I’m really excited. Tre Mann also hada great summer. It was a really good preseason. (Mann averaged 16.0PPG on 66.3% True Shooting). I’m happy for them and excited towatch them continue to grow because they put the work in, alwaysfocus, are humble — and [they] want to get better.”
