With his off-court issues behind him, Muhammad is beginning to display the skills that made him one of the nation’s best high school talents.
In 2012, ESPN ranked Shabazz Muhammad second on its list of the nation’s top basketball prospects, trailing only Nerlens Noel. As a high school athlete, Muhammad received praise from scouts for his ability to both attack the basket and pull up for the mid-range jump shot. In a scouting report published by DraftExpress, Jonathan Givony elaborates on how Muhammad was a fairly complete offensive player at the high school level:
“Muhammad can put up points in bunches from anywhere on the floor, both in transition or in the half-court,” Givony wrote. “He attacks the rim relentlessly with his solid first step and finishes with authority whenever possible, showing good upper body strength taking hits in the paint and drawing fouls.”
Muhammad’s skills garnered national attention, and the young forward shined on the big stage. In addition to being named the MVP of the 2012 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, he dominated at USA Basketball’s Nike Hoop Summit, scoring 35 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
After high school, Muhammad committed to UCLA. In his lone college season, he averaged 17.9 points per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from 3-point range.
But a series of off-court issues plagued his season and tarnished his draft stock. He missed the team’s first three games after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for violating the association’s amateurism rules. Later in the season, a Los Angeles Times report revealed the information provided by the UCLA men’s basketball media guide regarding his age and location of birth didn’t match his birth certificate.
Despite the issues, NBA scouts still believed he would be a lottery pick. However, those beliefs began to sour after a poor showing at the NBA Draft Combine. Ultimately, the Utah Jazz selected him with the final lottery pick (14th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft. He was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Muhammad’s off-court struggles would continue as he entered his rookie season. He was kicked out of the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program after violating a rule by bringing a female guest into his hotel room. He was also fined as a result of the violation.
He also struggled during the 2013 Las Vegas Summer League. In an average of 20.7 minutes, he scored just 8.9 points and shot only 36.5 percent from the field, the lowest percentage on the team.
Overall, Muhammad’s first year in the NBA would turn out to be a lost one. He failed to crack Head coach Rick Adelman’s rotation and he didn’t start a single game. In 37 games, he scored 3.9 points per game in 7.2 minutes while shooting just 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
After the 2013-14 season, Adelman announced his retirement and President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders revealed he would be Minnesota’s new coach. The Timberwolves also shipped star forward Kevin Love to Cleveland in a three-team trade involving Philadelphia. In exchange for Love, Minnesota received Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.
Now in rebuilding mode, Minnesota is pushing to develop its young players, and after a very intense offseason training regimen, Muhammad is finally starting to emerge. This year, he’s shooting 50.7 percent from the field (a 4.7 percent increase from his rookie season) and his playing time has nearly tripled. Currently, he is scoring 13.4 points per game in 21 minutes. His player efficiency rating, according to ESPN’s John Hollinger, ranks third among qualified NBA small forwards, trailing only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Despite the team’s current six-game losing streak, Muhammad has averaged 22 points per game in 32 minutes during that span, including a career-high 28 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He is also shooting 52.5 percent from the field while rarely taking 3-point shots. Part of his increased playing time is due to an injury to guard Kevin Martin, but if Muhammad continues to produce at this rate, it will be tough for Saunders to keep his minutes down.
Muhammad will need to develop a consistent 3-point shot if he hopes to become an elite wing in the NBA, but his high-percentage shooting from inside the arc is a testament to the skills that made him such a highly-touted high school prospect. He must also continue to compete on the defensive end. Despite averaging 1.2 steals over his past six games, he is only averaging 0.5 steals per game this season.
If Muhammad is able to continue his development with the additional playing time he is receiving, he and Wiggins could become an elite tandem on the wings for many years to come. Add Gorgui Dieng and a healthy Ricky Rubio and you could be looking at Minnesota’s core for the foreseeable future.
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