Anthony Bennett sucking at a historic level has deflected a lot of criticism from a bunch of under-performing rookies. Take Shabazz Muhammad. He hasn’t done anything this year; as the 14th pick, you would expect at least a little something. But I haven’t heard a peep regarding the Wolves wasting their pick. This is surprising.
Especially since he was one of the most hyped high-schoolers ever. He was supposed to be the next big thing. Never mind that he was a year older than everybody. Never mind that he was a product of a media-savvy father. This guy was destined for greatness. He had a disappointing year in college, but somehow his stock remained high enough for him to be drafted in the first round. It’s like the Minnesota GM was like “Shabazz Muhammad? Hmmm, I think I heard that name somewhere. Wasn’t he that guy who was super hyped in high school? We should draft him. I’ve never even heard of this Giannis character.”
But now with Kevin Martin out for forever, Shabazz will get a chance to prove himself. He’s already started down a good path. 12 points in 16 minutes? Pretty good. And it’s only taken him 15 games to get double figures; it took Bennett 33. Things are looking up. Maybe next game he can make a perimeter jumper!