If anyone knows anything about the upheaval of being traded, it’s Derrick White. He was Boston’s trade deadline acquisition a year ago when he suddenly, unexpectedly, was moved by San Antonio.
“I feel like it's a whirlwind right now and there's a lot going on and you're learning new plays and new people,” White said. “You know your teammates then you meet front office people, medical staff, so you're just getting thrown lots. Obviously, welcome him to the team and it's great to have him."
It was great for the Celtics, who actually needed Muscala’s skillset after his old teammate Al Horford was scratched again due to knee soreness. The pair sat next to each other on the bench, with Horford (who played with Muscala in Atlanta and Oklahoma City) explaining things on the fly until Muscala checked in late in the first quarter.
And then, nearly two minutes after checking in, he took a pass from Jayson Tatum in the corner and drilled his first 3 as a Celtic. He then took seven more to finish 4-8, which seems like an audacious debut. But these are Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics. No one is going to get in trouble for shooting.
“That’s what he does. He can shoot with the best of them,” Tatum said. “They were all great shots. We want everybody to take what’s great, what's best for the team, the best shot at the moment. If it’s eight threes, if it’s 18 threes, if it’s the right shot at the right time, you’ve got to take it.”
That's exactly what Brad Stevens was looking for at the deadline. Muscala might not have been on anyone’s radar or broadcast in any trade rumors, but Stevens had his eye on the sharpshooting big all season.
“Anybody that played with him would tell you they love playing with him, which, like, an alarm goes off in your head. That’s a person you want to have around,” Stevens said. “And so I think that he was a guy we’d been talking to OKC for a little bit about depending on what happened here at the trade deadline, because we thought he was a guy that can fit with really any combination of our bigs.”
The Celtics have in Muscala a unique player with experience. He can replace Horford in the lineup and play next to Robert Williams as a floor spacer who capitalizes off the attention everyone else gets. He can also play next to Horford should the Celtics find themselves against an opponent like the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have two incredible big defenders at the rim. Or, he can hang out on the bench and watch those two guys do what they’ve done for a while together.
“It’s hard to find guys that can play with Rob, can play with Al, can play with our other bigs,” Stevens said. “And the other thing that’s kind of the hard part about this team is if we were gonna make a move where we bring in a person that’s going to play a ton of minutes, you almost have to subtract somebody that plays a ton of minutes. I think our team has a good way about itself.
“I think we’ve got 13 players that can play and impact each other in a really good way, but we also have a bunch of guys that don’t need to do it every night. So that ability to play but not have to need to play is a big deal, and I think that’s what we need to have as a team. It’s not about an individual. This is a goal and I think Mike understands that and our other players understand it.”
Still, a big like Muscala knows he will get opportunities when Williams may need a game off as part of his knee rehabilitation plan, or when the Celtics sit Horford on back-to-backs. His shooting will buoy his game along the way as he adjusts to the new team.
“I think I got a ways to go in terms of learning the defensive schemes,” he said, admitting to calling out the wrong sets from time to time. “I think it was cool, they let you play here. Offensively and defensively they made plays. We're just trying to be better with the coverages and there were a few times where I messed that up. But like I said, it's fun cause they give you a lot of freedom there.”
The freedom comes with a lot of support, mostly because the team recognizes that Muscala can make a difference on a championship team. The Celtics traded away Justin Jackson, who rarely played unless Boston was desperate or in garbage time. Muscala basically stepped off a plane, put a uniform on (he chose the number 57 for his late mother, who was born in 1957 and passed before the season), and got first-quarter reps. He’s going to be used by the Celtics, even if he’s going to have to be thrown into the deep end right away.
“Play hard, pay attention and you’ll figure it out,” Joe Mazzulla said. “We have enough good guys around here that communicate well, that want to win and be successful. … He’s all-in and just looking for him to continue to execute.”
It’s not easy being the new guy, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better debut considering the circumstances. The last time he was on the floor, he was in Los Angeles watching LeBron James break the all-time scoring record. His Thunder won the game, but all that did was keep them firmly in 12th. He hit four 3-pointers in that game as well, but these four for the league-best Celtics seem a little more meaningful.
“Loved my time in Oklahoma, great organization and it was fun to be a part of their group throughout the years,” he said. “But definitely just grateful for the opportunity here to be part of a great team and here in Boston, I’ve heard so many good things about the city. So I’m excited to get to know the city more, get to know the fans, and just go play some ball.”