Congratulations! The man who has changed Zubac to be the Sun assistant coach

LeBron James, who will turn 41 at the end of the year, is still preparing for his 23rd season of his career, and Paul, 40, is about to celebrate his 21st season of his career in the Los Angeles Clippers. However, Muscala, who was only 34, chose to wear a suit and get a tactical board at the age when he was supposed to play in the arena, and upgraded from an NBA player to an NBA assistant coach. I have to say that the world is really full of wonders!

According to NBA famous reporter Michael Scotto, league sources revealed that former NBA player Muscala will join the Phoenix Suns and serve as an assistant coach under Suns coach Jordan Ott. It is reported that Muscala and Jordan Ott worked together with the Atlanta Hawks.

Perhaps, we will find it incredible the moment we hear Muscala is about to become a Suns assistant! This is where it goes? It’s too early to start a teaching assistant career at the age of 35! Logically speaking, Muscala at this age should have been preparing for the 2025-26 season, but he changed the track early and was about to enter the coaching position to open a new chapter in his life. It is really unbelievable!

As the 44th pick in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft, Muscala played in the NBA for a total of 11 years. She decided to retire in the summer of 2024 and officially ended her NBA career. During his 11-year NBA career, Muscala has played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, and has retired after returning to the Thunder in the 2023-24 season. During this period, he played a total of 548 regular season games, averaging 5.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.5 blocks per game, shooting percentage of 45.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 37.3%, and free throw shooting percentage of 83%. In 35 playoffs, he averaged 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game, shooting percentage of 48.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 30.4%, and free throw shooting percentage of 85.7%.

From personal data, it can be seen that Muscala's performance throughout his NBA career is not outstanding enough, and he is a pure role player. The reason why he can maintain such a long career is mainly due to being a big inside player with outstanding outside shooting skills. The most eye-catching label on him is "the man who only exchanges Zubac". Although this label is not accurate enough, it has become the most memorable thing about Muscala!

Before the 2019 trading deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers unexpectedly packaged Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley to the same city Clippers for three-point shooting scorer Mike Muscala. In order to get Muscala, the Lakers not only gave the inside star Zubac with unlimited potential, but also took on Beasley. Their approach was really difficult to understand and even shocked at the time! Of course, it was later proved that the Lakers did make a silly 2-for-1 deal. Half a year later, the Lakers chose to cut Muscala, while Zubac gained a foothold in the Clippers and soon became the mainstay of the inside!

In the 2024-25 season, Ivica Zubac played the strongest performance in his career, averaging 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of up to 62.8%. In addition, he was selected for the second team of the season for the first time in his career. In contrast, Muscala has long disappeared in the league! Although it has been years since the Lakers traded Zubac for Muscala, Lakers fans will still feel uneasy whenever they mention this!