The 2017-2018 NBA season wasn’t overly kind to the Atlanta Hawks but that didn’t stop several players from taking individual steps forward and veteran big man Mike Muscala was among them. Though Muscala’s season began in treacherous fashion with early struggles and a lengthy absence after an ankle injury, the 26-year-old emerged down the stretch and turned in arguably the best campaign of his still-young career.
Prior to the campaign, Muscala hit the unrestricted free agent market for the first time in his career and, if anything, it was mildly surprising that he returned on a two-year, $10 million contract that included a second-year player option.