Shabazz Muhammad Reportedly Agrees to New Contract with Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks maintained some depth in their wing rotation Monday when they reportedly re-signed Shabazz Muhammad, per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. 

This comes after the UCLA product split the 2017-18 season on the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bucks. Minnesota waived him on March 1, and Milwaukee signed him for the stretch run and postseason.

Muhammad entered the league in 2013 when the Utah Jazz selected him with a first-round pick and then traded him to Minnesota. He had spent his entire career with the Timberwolves before they waived him after he averaged just 3.8 points a night in 32 games for them last season.

He was better for Milwaukee with 8.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 11 regular-season contests.

The forward struggled to find consistency as a rookie and averaged 3.9 points per game. However, he turned the corner in his second season and posted a career-high 13.5 points a night but played in just 38 games and underwent surgery on his finger.

He finally played a full season in 2015-16 and averaged 10.5 points per game before posting 9.9 in 2016-17.

Ideally for the Bucks, Muhammad will deliver on the potential that merited a first-round pick as he garners more experience playing in their system moving forward. He can effectively use his combination of athleticism and length at 6'6" on the defensive side to bother perimeter shooters and drivers.

He is also a capable scorer who can stretch the defense from beyond the arc or convert inside the lane and knock down his free throws when he draws contact.

While Muhammad was overshadowed in Minnesota by players such as Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, talent isn't a question with the 2013 first-rounder. If he delivers on that skill set, he can develop into a secondary piece alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and help the team reach the playoffs yet again.