Milwaukee Bucks 2017-18 Season Review: Shabazz Muhammad
By Adam McGee
Summer focus and final grade
The primary goal and focus for Muhammad this summer will be to earn a new deal when free agency comes around, and to stay in the NBA.
A lot of eyebrows were raised when Muhammad agreed to a buyout with the Timberwolves and was reported as hoping to sign with a “playoff contender”, but with the Bucks he ultimately found himself playing important minutes in meaningful postseason games.
Added to how the 25-year-old performed in the final portion of the regular season with Milwaukee, Muhammad should certainly have boosted his chances of a new NBA deal with his play in recent months. He’s far from a perfect player, and he seems to know that himself, but he can contribute coming off the bench.
Speaking at Bucks exit interviews, Muhammad stated his intention to improve his shooting over the summer, in large part due to the pressures he and the Bucks felt against the Celtics.
"“I mean, obviously, I’m just going to work hard. I think I’ll work on my three-point shot more, to stretch the defense out. The biggest thing for us with Boston was they wanted us to shoot a lot of threes. And we’re a transition team, and they kind of clogged it all up in there, and we had some struggles trying to shoot the three ball. That’s something I need to work on, and continue to maintain my body and stuff like that.”"
Beyond that, who will Muhammad be plying his trade with next season? The L.A. native has a preference.
"“I mean, you know, I’m a free agent. And I like Milwaukee a lot, and like how the program’s ran, and everybody here. So we’ll see what happens and go from there.”"
Muhammad is the kind of player many NBA fans have a strangely visceral reaction to. In part, I think that’s because it’s not easy to imagine a player like Muhammad fitting into a team like the Rockets or Warriors, but the reason those teams are the gold standard is because it isn’t possible for every team to reach their level or be blessed with their wealth of talent.
Muhammad has plenty of flaws, but on a team with sizable offensive issues of their own, he also has enough drive and talent to find ways to help. There’s a misconception among large parts of the NBA audience that imperfect players can’t be impactful players, and Muhammad’s time with the Bucks is one of many cases that should act as evidence against that notion.
Of course, Shabazz on the Bucks didn’t change the shape of the NBA forever, but he did some nice things. If anything, he arguably even gave the Bucks much more than they anticipated. It’s impossible to ask for much more than that.
BTBP Final Grade: B+
Next: Milwaukee Bucks 2017-18 Season Review: Tony Snell
Make sure you stick with us over the coming days and weeks as we review the rest of the Bucks’ seasons individually.