For the most part the Minnesota Timberwolves have been a major disappointment this season. They have lost 12 of their last 14 games and their 14-32 record is the second worst mark in the Western Conference. Despite the disappointing season so far the Timberwolves have had a few bright spots. Karl-Anthony Towns is the first name that comes to mind when you think of bright spots in Minnesota but Shabazz Muhammad has been one too. Recently Muhammad has played particularly well in a lot of different areas and is earning a bigger role, according to Alan Horton of WCCO 830 AM.
Muhammad was once considered a "once-in-a-generation talent" back in 2012 when he was playing college basketball for UCLA but it has taken him a little bit longer to find himself in the NBA. Muhammad was a former number one recruit in the nation and a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft but he has finally found his place in the NBA this season.
In the beginning of the year Muhammad's minutes were very low as he was averaging around 15 minutes per game but as the season has gone along those minutes have crept up. Now Muhammad is regularly playing 30-plus minutes per game despite the fact that he hasn't started a single game this season and head coach Sam Mitchell doesn't expect that to change. Mitchell says that Muhammad is "doing more things to make our team better as a whole."
Muhammad has always been able to score since coming into the league but this season he has refined a lot of his skills and most importantly been able to stay on the floor. Before this season Muhammad had never played more than 38 games in a season but he has already surpassed that by appearing in all 46 of the Timberwolves games so far. Muhammad's numbers are down from last year but he is playing on a more talented team and he is fitting in more with the team concept which Mitchell has liked.
It was unclear coming into the season if Muhammad was one of the young players the Timberwolves were hoping to build around but now it seems like he might be. Muhammad has been drawing some trade interest but the Timberwolves have said no to all of those calls which would indicate he is in their future plans. Muhammad isn't without his flaws but as a guy that can come off the bench and fill it up in the scoring column you won't find many better options.
