Mike Muscala had very little time to prepare for his debut with the Boston Celtics on Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets.
Muscala switched teams just over 24 hours prior to the matchup as he went from Oklahoma City to Boston in a deal that sent Justin Jackson and two second-round picks to the Thunder.
With Muscala coming on board quickly, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla gave simple instructions to the 6-foot-11, 240-pound center to follow in his first game in a Celtics uniform, which came with a bit of history before he even hit the court.
"Play hard, pay attention and you'll figure it out," Mazzulla told reporters following a 127-116 win over the Hornets at TD Garden, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage.
Muscala got a little heads-up that Mazzulla would throw him right into the action as the 10-year pro, who spent the last three-plus season with the Thunder, made his way onto the floor with 3:30 left in the first quarter.
On the fifth NBA team of his career, the 31-year-old just tried to soak everything in, and it sure helped that with just under two minutes remaining in the opening frame, he drilled a 3-pointer from the corner off a feed from Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum. Muscala went on to score 12 points off the bench in the win.
"I was just ready, just be in the moment," Muscala told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. "It was really fun energy and just amazing. You could just see the fans love the game here. Just a blessing. It was fun."
The biggest attribute Muscala is known for is his long-range shooting, which he displayed on several occasions. Muscala knocked down four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc, getting strong looks as he spaced the floor for a potent Celtics offense.
Getting up to speed with Boston's defense comes with a learning curve for Muscala, but he still registered a block and Mazzulla liked what he saw at both ends from Muscala in his first performance with the Celtics.
"We got enough good guys around here that communicate well and that want to win and be successful and so I thought in the offensive end he fit right in as far as our spacing and just the way we were attacking offensively," Mazzulla said. "I thought defensively he played with energy. Our guys did a good job communicating to him kind of the different systems and schemes that we had throughout the game. He's all in, and just looking for him to continue to execute."
