How One Mike Muscala Shot Accidentally Gifted Sixers Tyrese Maxey While Making Jaylin Williams an Untouchable Thunder Cult Hero

In the NBA, fate often hinges on razor-thin margins, but few stories encapsulate the butterfly effect quite like what unfolded between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Philadelphia 76ers between 2016 and 2020—a saga that proves a single shot can shape the destiny of two franchises and two young stars in dramatically different ways.

It all started in 2016 when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Jerami Grant from the Philadelphia 76ers. At the time, the trade barely registered on the national radar: Oklahoma City sent over veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova and a protected first-round pick. The key detail? The pick was top-20 protected, meaning the Thunder would only lose the pick if it landed outside the first 20 selections in a future draft.

Fast forward to August 2020, inside the unprecedented environment of the NBA Bubble in Orlando. COVID-19 had shut the world down, but basketball resumed in a sterile, crowd-less setting. It was during this surreal stretch of games that Mike Muscala, a solid but largely unheralded stretch big man for OKC, etched his name into one of the most unlikely NBA what-if scenarios.

On August 12, 2020, the Thunder faced off against the Miami Heat in a late-season bubble game with seemingly modest stakes. For Oklahoma City, playoff positioning was on the line, but beyond that, few expected much consequence. However, as fate would have it, the game went down to the wire. With seconds remaining and the Thunder trailing, Muscala received the ball beyond the arc and calmly buried a game-winning three-pointer.

The Thunder bench erupted. A routine bubble victory? Not quite.

That singular Muscala triple nudged Oklahoma City’s win-loss record just enough to bump their own first-round pick to No. 21 in the 2020 NBA Draft—outside the top-20 protection threshold. As a result, the pick immediately conveyed to the Philadelphia 76ers.

What the Sixers did with that pick would change their franchise trajectory.

With the 21st overall selection, Philadelphia drafted Tyrese Maxey, a dynamic, speedy guard out of Kentucky. At the time, Maxey wasn’t universally pegged as a future star, but hindsight has been unkind to those early doubts. Maxey exploded onto the scene with a relentless work ethic, infectious energy, and clutch scoring instincts. By the 2023-24 season, he emerged as one of the most electrifying young guards in the NBA.

His current stat line speaks volumes: 26.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and a scorching 3.1 three-pointers made per contest. Maxey’s rise has been meteoric, becoming a core piece alongside Joel Embiid and keeping Philadelphia competitive in the Eastern Conference despite constant roster shuffles and injuries.

But here’s where the story gets even wilder: Had Muscala missed that three-pointer, the Thunder would have finished with a slightly worse record, their pick would have landed at No. 34, and they would have kept it. The Sixers would have drafted in the early second round instead.

For context, that No. 34 pick? Oklahoma City used it to draft Jaylin Williams, the versatile, high-energy big man from Arkansas known for his charges, hustle plays, and endearing personality.

Jaylin Williams’ numbers may not pop like Maxey’s—5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game with a tidy 40% from beyond the arc—but his impact in OKC extends beyond the stat sheet. Williams embodies the spirit of the Thunder’s young core, a glue guy whose defensive grit and unselfishness have made him indispensable.

In a twist dripping with irony, Thunder fans have elevated Jaylin to near-untouchable status. While hyperbole runs rampant in fandoms, it’s become a running joke—and a badge of honor—within OKC circles that you could pry MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Thunder before they’d willingly trade Jaylin Williams.

Of course, there’s nuance to all of this. In theory, had Philadelphia drafted at No. 34, they weren’t obligated to select Jaylin Williams. The draft board could have unfolded in countless ways. But the tangible, real-world result remains staggering: one routine three-pointer by Mike Muscala tilted the entire chessboard, indirectly gifting the Sixers their budding star in Maxey while allowing the Thunder to keep Williams, who evolved into a cult favorite and integral piece of OKC’s identity.

Both franchises, in their own way, emerged as winners from this improbable chain reaction. Philadelphia snagged Maxey, whose scoring prowess, off-the-dribble creativity, and relentless pace offer a much-needed counterbalance to Joel Embiid’s interior dominance. In a league where guard play reigns supreme, Maxey’s development has kept Philly afloat during turbulent times.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City’s faith in Jaylin Williams exemplifies the Thunder’s culture-driven rebuild. While Williams may never post All-NBA stats, his defensive versatility, selfless play, and relentless motor are perfect complements to OKC’s rising stars, from Josh Giddey to Chet Holmgren and, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Even Muscala, the inadvertent catalyst of this butterfly effect, holds a special place in the lore. His clutch triple wasn’t merely a feel-good moment in a forgotten bubble game—it became the spark that linked two young stars, two franchises, and two passionate fanbases in one of the most unexpectedly interconnected NBA storylines in recent memory.

It’s a reminder that in basketball, like life, the smallest details—a single made shot, a draft pick protection clause, a bounce of the ball—can ripple into seismic consequences. A game-winning three-pointer by a journeyman center reshaped the fates of Tyrese Maxey and Jaylin Williams, creating parallel paths where both players thrive in environments that revere them.

For Maxey, his ascent in Philadelphia underscores the Sixers’ shrewd draft strategy and perseverance through chaotic seasons. He’s become more than just a complementary piece; he’s a face of the franchise, a player Sixers fans pin championship hopes upon.

For Jaylin Williams, his journey in Oklahoma City personifies the Thunder’s ethos—high character, high motor, team-first basketball. He may never headline the box scores, but his presence defines the heartbeat of a young, resilient roster with lofty ambitions.

And somewhere in the annals of Thunder history, Mike Muscala’s bubble three-pointer lives on—not just as a quirky footnote, but as the improbable catalyst for one of the craziest NBA what-if tales ever told.

In the end, both franchises, both players, and even Muscala himself, walked away with something to celebrate. The beauty of this story? It’s still unfolding. And all because of one shot, in an empty arena, in the strangest season basketball has ever seen.