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Brooklyn Nets: Dzanan Musa will not be a game changer his rookie season

By Justin Thomas

NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 21: Dzanan Musa (R) is seen after being selected number twenty-ninth overall by Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 NBA Draft in Barclays Center in New York, United States on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 21: Dzanan Musa (R) is seen after being selected number twenty-ninth overall by Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 NBA Draft in Barclays Center in New York, United States on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /
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The Brooklyn Nets selected Bosnian wing Dzanan Musa with the 29th pick in the NBA draft. Will be a game changer as a rookie?

The Brooklyn Nets went into last week’s NBA Draft with a lot of buzz around them. After trading away the 45th overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the Dwight Howard trade, the Nets still had the 29th and 40th picks in the draft.

Many thought the Nets would try and move up in the draft, possibly into the lottery. However, Sean Marks and his staff stayed put at No. 29 and drafted Dzanan Musa. The question, which is asked of all rookies, is if he will be a game-changer his rookie year?

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In this article, I’ll tell you why Musa won’t be.

For many of the Brooklyn faithful who watched the draft and saw Musa selected, the first question was undoubtedly, “Who?” Musa’s selection did come as a surprise as many expected the Nets to select Ohio State wing Keita Bates-Diop.

His game seemed to fit what the Nets were looking for, however, the Nets chose to go with the 19-year-old from Bosnia and Herzevegonia. Just a little bit about the young kid. Musa measures in at about 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan.

He only weighs in at about 195 pounds and has a noticeably lanky, wiry frame. There was some thought that the Nets were using this pick as a stash; however, Musa has said he wants to come to play in the NBA.

His buyout from his European team is set at $1 million and the Nets plan to pay the majority of it.

Although the NBA is becoming a more position-less league, it’s still all about fit. Musa’s wingspan and size at 6-foot-9 would have him pegged to play at either small forward positions. But that in itself is the problem.

Currently at power forward the Nets have DeMarre Carroll, Dante Cunningham (a pending free agent) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Although, RHJ is interchangeable between almost every position on the court.

At small forward, the Nets currently have Allen Crabbe and a pair of pending free agents in Joe Harris and James Webb III. It is more than likely though that Webb III won’t be on the active roster come opening night.

But that still leaves the sharpshooting scoring pair of Crabbe and Harris at the top spots for that position.

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    • It is for this reason that Dzanan Musa won’t be a game-changer his rookie year. It won’t be a Jarrett Allen rookie season part 2. There is just too much depth in front of him for a significant impact to be made on the court.

    Now that’s not to say Musa won’t see the floor because he will, just off the bench. Dzanan’s skill sets fit perfectly with Kenny Atkinson and the Nets shot-friendly offense.

    Scouting reports on the 19-year-old say he’s fearless and not shy to shoot the rock, even though he’s not the most consistent shooter. He’s also not afraid to take it to the hole and has some surprising athleticism. Coming off the bench he’ll probably average around 5 or 6 points.

    One of the glaring aspects of Musa is his build. Although he has the height, he doesn’t have the weight. At 195 pounds Musa is going to get overpowered by some of the stronger wings and forwards in the league on the defensive end. But that’s to be expected when you’re only 19.

    If anyone was expecting a Cinderella rookie season, the likes of what Kyle Kuzma had last season, don’t hold your breath. Musa won’t be anywhere near the Rookie of the Year discussion and most likely won’t have the impact Allen had last season. It’s all about timing with Musa.

    He’s a project player who, with enough time, could become a serious role player for this Brooklyn Nets team moving forward. The closest European player that could be compared to Musa that was previously on the Nets would probably be Bojan Bogdanovic.

    During his short stint in Brooklyn, Bogdanovic was one of the team’s best scorers and would shoot with no hesitation.

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    With some more weight, Musa could be a similar version of Bojan and the Nets would definitely want a player with that type of scoring ability, with the length to go with it. However, that won’t be the case his rookie season.

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