Mike Muscala

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Mike Muscala & Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation Provide Vision Screening

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ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks have assigned forward/center Mike Muscala to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

Muscala has appeared in eight games with the Hawks this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10.0 minutes (.586 FG%, .800 FT%). In a Dec. 10 win against Philadelphia, he had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in 19 minutes (6-8 FGs), tying career-highs in FGM and assists.

He saw action in two games with Fort Wayne earlier this year, putting up 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 assists in 25.0 minutes (.625 FG%, .700 FT%). In his most recent contest with the Mad Ants (Dec. 7 vs. Westchester), he recorded 14 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in 27 minutes (6-9 FGs, 2-4 FTs) in a 97-86 win. He was first assigned on Dec. 6 and recalled on Dec. 8.

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Hawks Assign Mike Muscala to Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Muscala, in his second year with the Hawks, has appeared in five games this season, averaging 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 10.7 minutes (.474 FG%, .800 FT%). 

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Hawks Assign Mike Muscala To Fort Wayne Mad Ants

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Behind the Scenes at Marketing Media Days: Part 2

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The Hawks have re-signed power forward Mike Scott (per team policy, contract details were not released). Scott excelled under Coach Mike Budenholzer and made major strides in his second season in the NBA to become an important role player for Atlanta.

He averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game coming off the bench for the Hawks in 18.5 minutes per game. He spent his summer getting in better shape and expanding his range to play more on the perimeter, and it paid off for him in a big way.

Off the bench, Scott became one of the Hawks’ primary offensive weapons with the second unit, and he excelled in the pick-and-pop game. Scott shot 31 percent from three-point range on the season and 48.4 percent on long twos (16 feet to the three point line). His ability to space the floor made him a valuable commodity for Coach Bud and earned him a significant role as one of the first bigs off the bench.

Bringing Scott back gives Atlanta a lot of frontcourt depth for what figures to be a very tight competition for minutes. Scott joins first round pick Adreian Payne, Pero Antic and Mike Muscala as the bench unit behind All-Star Paul Millsap and the returning Al Horford. All six Hawks frontcourt players have the ability to step outside and knockdown perimeter shots as well as run the floor in transition, and with the way Coach Bud likes to space the floor and push the pace, it makes sense that the Hawks have tailored their roster to fit those desires.

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Scott Gives Hawks Another Stretch Forward

The Hawks released their 2014 Summer League roster Tuesday, and there are a lot of exciting pieces.

Back for another stint in Las Vegas are John Jenkins, Mike Muscala and Dennis Schröder, all of whom were part of the 2013-14 Atlanta team.  Jenkins will be playing in the Summer League for the third time as he continues to work his way back from a season-ending back injury last year.  Hopefully he can re-gain the shooting form he had his rookie year and last summer.

Muscala played 20 games with the Hawks last season and said he wants to continue to get stronger, play better defense and expand his range.  He'll be challenged defensively with a number of great prospect big men in Las Vegas, and he'll have a chance to expand on the range we saw from him, similar to what Mike Scott did last summer when he unveiled a newly-crafted three-point shot.

Schröder had some tough luck as rookie with limited minutes behind Jeff Teague and Shelvin Mack.  Still, a year in the NBA helped him, and another summer of playing 25+ minutes per game won't hurt either.  He still needs to develop a consistent jump shot, and he'll have plenty of chances to let it fly in Atlanta's free-flowing system this week.

All three of the players the Hawks acquired in the 2014 draft will be in uniform as well.  First-round pick Adreian Payne will see his first taste of NBA action, and I'm sure fans will be watching closely to see how he'll do.  On paper it appears his style of play fits well with what the Hawks want to do, so we'll see how well that holds true once game action starts.  

Edy Tavares, as General Manager Danny Ferry said, is a unique player because of his size.  He could very well end up being the tallest player in the tournament, so we'll see how he takes advantage of that.  As most people know, the international game is very different from the NBA game, even in Summer League, so Tavares' ability to adapt to how physical things will be in Las Vegas will be a good indicator of how close he is to being ready to make the jump.

Lamar Patterson is a guard who can shoot and create for himself, which is sometimes the best offense in the summer because of the fast and chaotic play.  Games are shorter, sometimes sloppier and usually faster, so Patterson's style may actually fit well considering he can run, shoot and drive.  I loved the trade when it happened on draft night, and I hope this is a step toward him getting a Training Camp invite.

Atlanta filled the rest of its roster with some undrafted rookies, a few international prospects and some guys looking to make a team once again.  You may recognize Eric Dawson's name, as he both played for Atlanta in last year's Summer League and was also part of the Hawks' Training Camp before eventually being the final cut.  He played for the Austin Toros and the NBL in China last season.

A few SEC alums made the roster.  Florida's Casey Prather teamed up with Scottie Wilbiken to form an elite backcourt for the Gators.  Prather shot better than 60% from the field and 40% from three in helping Florida reach the Final Four this season.  Alabama's Trevor Releford, also on the roster, finished fifth in the conference in scoring and was named to the first team All-SEC for the second straight year.

Several other players who played college ball in the states are on the roster too.  Abraham Millsap, brother of Hawks forward Paul Millsap, played six games for Tennessee State in 2012-13.  Stephen Holt, the 6'4" guard out of St. Mary's, started all 34 games as a senior, averaging 15 points as a team captain in his final season.  Washington State forward D.J. Shelton averaged a double-double last season in 30 minutes per game. And 6'10" Travis Wear is a perfect fit for the Hawks' style because he can stretch defenses.  He shot 44% from three last season for UCLA.

Greek-American Michael Bramos has been playing in Europe since 2009 but did attend school in the states at Miami-Ohio University while Edo Muric, of Slovenian decent, helped his team to win the past four championships in Slovenia from 2011-2014.

All in all, the Hawks have a roster diverse in skillsets, but they all seem to be able to contribute something to a system predicated on pace and space.  It should be a fun week.