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Brooklyn Nets: Grading the pick — Dzanan Musa needs development time

By Chris Milholen

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Dzanan Musa poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted 29th overall by the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Dzanan Musa poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted 29th overall by the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The Brooklyn Nets biggest concerns entering the draft were wing depth and frontcourt presence. With the 29th overall pick, the Brooklyn Nets selected Dzanan Musa. What grade does the pick deserve?

Speculation was in the air whether the Brooklyn Nets were going to trade up in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Nets did deal their 45th pick in the Dwight Howard trade Wednesday and drafted players with their 29th and 40th picks.

It was almost certain Nets general manager Sean Marks was going to take Keita Bates-Diop out of Ohio State but he went with another wing, Dzanan Musa from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Player Profile

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Hometown: Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Previous team: Cedevita Zagreb
Positions: Small Forward
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 195 pounds
Wingspan: 6-foot-9

Dzanan Musa was an under-the-radar international wing entering the 2018 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9 small forward put his name on many team’s draft boards for his eye-pooping athleticism in FIBA tournaments and his time at Cedevita Zagreb.

His talented play will be tested at the NBA level. Musa has a $1 million dollar buyout in his current contract. His intentions are to come and play for the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.

Brooklyn can help pay the $1 million buyout and is expected to pay around $700,000 of the deal, per Josh Newman of the Asbury Park Press.

Offensive Profile

Musa is the perfect height to be a wing in the NBA. At 6-foot-9, he has shown he is a versatile wing who can really score. He is a unique wing who does not have limits on the offensive end and is a confident scorer. He is known to be a scoring machine.

His shooting is good, but not very consistent. Musa is not afraid to shoot beyond the arc in transition and on the catch-and-shoot. His 3-point shooting is not a strength in his offensive arsenal. Musa only shot 31.3 percent from deep last season.

His shooting revolves heavily around his dribbling skill set. Musa sets his shots primarily off the dribble. His go to offensive move is a mid-range jump shot off the dribble. He can also pull off a “Dirk” one-legged shot or drive to the basket and finish.

When driving to the basket, Musa looks to force contact. His skinny frame and physical size does not intimidate him to drive to the hole looking for contact. To go along with his contact drives, Musa is an average free throw shooter.

He shot 80.4 percent from the line last season, but has been improving every season.

The small forward needs to improve his explosiveness and his physical size. Musa lacks explosiveness when driving which will be a disadvantage at the NBA level. With explosiveness comes physical size.

Musa is undersized physically compared to other NBA wings. His skinny frame will restrict his game.

Defensive Profile

His defensive game may be a concern in the NBA. His physical size is at the lower half of current NBA wings which puts him at a disadvantage. Current NBA wings will be quicker and stronger than what he is use to playing against.

His size makes him a target for opposing wings to attack, especially when driving to the basket. He will have a greater amount of trouble guarding power forwards.

On the positive side, he is a good steal threat. His wingspan gives him the opportunity to be a steal threat and cover a good amount of space. He is not a shot-blocking wing but with development can become a serious steal threat.

Role with the Brooklyn Nets

Musa will not become a starter for Brooklyn right away and maybe not at all. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson will have to develop Musa into an NBA wing. His main role will be an off the bench scorer.

His game can be compared to a former Net who made himself a household name; Bojan Bogdanovic. He is a shooter who can drive to the basket looking for contact.

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The Brooklyn Nets will have to do some serious developing on Dzanan Musa. He is physically undersized and his defense is a clear target for opposing wings. He is a scoring machine with potential. We will have to wait and see what Atkinson does with his new Net. Draft Grade: B-