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Brooklyn Nets: Draft picks show some swagger at introduction

By Phil Watson

BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 22: General Manager Sean Marks of the Brooklyn Nets poses for a photo at the Post NBA Draft press conference with Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs on June 22, 2018 at the HSS Training Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 22: General Manager Sean Marks of the Brooklyn Nets poses for a photo at the Post NBA Draft press conference with Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs on June 22, 2018 at the HSS Training Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The newest Brooklyn Nets, 29th overall pick Dzanan Musa and 40th overall selection Rodions Kurucs, were introduced to the media on Friday and showed they definitely have no confidence problems.

The Brooklyn Nets introduced their 2018 NBA Draft class to the media on Friday and if soundbites are any indication of future stardom, the Nets may have struck it rich with Bosnian forward Dzanan Musa and Latvian wing Rodions Kurucs.

The Nets took Musa with the 29th overall pick near the end of the first roundThursday night at Barclays Center and followed that up by selecting Kurucs at No. 40 overall midway through the second round.

The 19-year-old Musa played the last three seasons with Cedevita in Zagreb, Croatia, showing some definitely offensive flair and that scorer’s confidence was on display Friday, dismissing concerns about his slight frame with a comparison to Denver Nuggets standout Nikola Jokic.

Similarly, Kurucs — a 20-year-old who bounced back and forth between Barcelona’s A and B teams the last two seasons — didn’t back down when talking about future matchups with countryman Kristaps Porzingis.

General manager Sean Marks was high on both prospects (obviously since, you know, he picked them). Musa and Kurucs are each 6-foot-9 players who do most of their offensive work on the perimeter and Marks said that fits well with what Brooklyn is doing, per NBA.com.

"I would hate to pigeonhole any of these guys into, ‘You’re a 2-guard, you’re a 3-guard, you’re a 4.’ It goes back to how they develop, what their development plan is here. Young guys coming into the league, there’s some stepping stones that they’ve got to go through.It would be far too early for me or anybody to decide this is the role or this is the position that they have to play. Let’s see how it pans out. But they do have a skill set — length, body size, IQ, all those intangibles."

After the draft Thursday, Marks pointed out the experience of Musa and Kurucs against elite competition. Both players have three years of professional experience already and each has represented his country in international competition.

Musa recalled one game in particular against his new teammate.

"My first game was against this guy in national team. He kicked our ass. He scored against us like, 28, 30 points. He dunked on us like eight times. So I remember this guy, a lot."

Musa said his idol as a youngster was Kobe Bryant and also mentioned Manu Ginobili as a role model for his teamwork and leadership.

Kurucs brought up Kevin Durant and Gordon Hayward, comparing his thin frame to the two-time Finals MVP and his shooting to the Boston Celtics’ forward.

Marks was also clear that Musa and Kurucs will be with the Nets in 2018-19 as opposed to coming along at a later time.

There was a report Friday morning that the Nets had already reached an agreement with Barcelona to buy out Kurucs’ contract and that the team and player had a deal in place for a four-year contract.

It was the first time the Nets have taken two international prospects without NCAA experience in the same draft. Musa was the 11th international pick by the franchise since it entered the NBA in 1976 and Kurucs became the 12th.

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The others include:

You have to like the confidence shown by each player, a swagger that flies in the face of the often-stereotyped “soft Euro” player.

Looking at video of Musa, you see a player that goes hard to the rack despite a thin frame and, if anything, can compete too hard — with some bad body language when things go awry.

Kurucs similarly goes to the basket with abandon and could be a solid rim runner for lobs, at least until his shaky ball-handling skills improve.

Next: Nets 15 best draft picks of all-time

Marks mentioned he was interested in Kurucs last year before the Latvian pulled out of the 2017 NBA Draft.