By far the most thrilling three-point shot Shabazz Muhammad hit this season came late in the third quarter Monday night against Orlando at Target Center. Evan Fournier missed a jumper, and Muhammad got the rebound with 3.9 seconds left. He dribbled to midcourt and let it go, high and through the net to give the Timberwolves a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of an eventual overtime victory.
But he’s been hitting all kinds of threes lately.
The Wolves have won two straight, five of six and eight of 11 heading into Wednesday’s game against LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
And Muhammad’s numbers have mirrored the team’s of late.
In his fourth season, Muhammad is the designated scorer among the Wolves reserves. For much of his career his go-to move is that two-dribble, quick-spin push hook off the glass, one that seems hard to stop even when the opponent knows it’s coming. Muhammad is the 6-6 post presence on the Wolves bench.
“It’s about timing on that shot,’’ he said. “When they’re leaning a certain way, I think I have ’em. That’s why I do the two dribbles, to figure out when they want to lean that way.’’
But now he’s doing more. He is becoming a real three-point threat. In 14 January games, Muhammad hit 19 of 35 three-pointers, a 54.3-percent clip. In 29 games since the start of December he is 30-for-62 (48.4 percent) on three-pointers.
This is the product of hours of work on his shot that began over the summer, went through camp and into the season. A career 34.5-percent three-point shooter, Muhammad Betkanyon was just 29.4 percent from long range last season. After a 3-13 start there through November, he has taken off.
“I don’t want to jinx myself,’’ he said. “But I didn’t think I’d be shooting it this well. But I’ve been focusing on my technique, taking each three and trying to dissect it, really snap my wrists. And it’s been going in for me. It was a great month.’’
Always a decent corner three shooter, Muhammad has worked hard on improving on shots from above the break (the longer, 23-foot, 9-inch instead of the corner 22-footer).
His numbers so far: 11-for-23 on left-corner threes, 8-for-14 on right-corner threes and 14-for-39 above the break.
Combine that with his effectiveness in the post — Muhammad is a 64.6-percent shooter on layups, dunks and that push-hook — and he is becoming a more difficult man to guard.
“He has worked extremely hard on it,’’ Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said of his three-point shooting. “And we want him to continue to do that. It’s given him a good balance in that. Now when they close on him, they have to close a lot harder. And then he can put it down. He’s a great driver; he plays through contact.’’
Muhammad scored in double figures in 10 of 14 games in January, scoring 20 twice. He has 18 career 20-point games off the bench, second in franchise history to Sam Mitchell (21).
And he could be playing himself into a good situation. The Wolves didn’t sign him to an extension this year, so Muhammad will become a restricted free agent after the season ends, with the team able to match any offer he might get.
“I’m helping my team win, that’s the biggest thing,’’ he said. “That’s what I’m most satisfied about.’’
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