Brooklyn Nets: Dzanan Musa sidelined with shoulder injury

The Brooklyn Nets have recalled first-round pick Dzanan Musa from the NBA G League’s Long Island Nets for treatment of an injured left shoulder.

The Brooklyn Nets announced Monday they have recalled rookie guard Dzanan Musa from his assignment with the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League and he will begin treatment for a partial separation of his left shoulder.

Musa, the 19-year-old selected with the 29th overall pick in the first round by the Nets last June, was injured during Long Island’s 110-101 loss Sunday afternoon to the Maine Red Claws at Nassau Coliseum.

According to the Nets, Musa will begin rehabilitation for the injury — technically called a subluxation, where the ball of the humerus in the upper arm slips partially out of the shoulder socket.

Medical Update: Dzanan Musa was diagnosed today with a left shoulder subluxation after sustaining the injury during Sunday’s @LongIslandNets game. Musa will begin rehabilitation immediately. pic.twitter.com/ViciuoMeAo
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 17, 2018

The Nets had announced Musa’s recall earlier Monday. Long Island does not play again until Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas for the NBA G League Showcase.

The Brooklyn Nets have recalled Dzanan Musa from the Long Island Nets.
— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) December 17, 2018

Musa had played in all 16 of Long Island’s games this season while on assignment from Brooklyn. He leads the Nets’ G League affiliate in scoring at 20.1 points per game, also averaging 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.4 minutes per game.

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With Long Island, Musa has shot 43.9 percent overall and 35.6 percent from behind the arc on 6.5 attempts per game. He is also at 79.7 percent from the free throw line.

Musa missed the first two games of the preseason and much of training camp last fall after spraining his left ankle while playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team during FIBA World Cup qualifying in September.

He has been dressed for 17 of Brooklyn’s 31 games this season, but has been a DNP-CD in 10 of them, most recently Friday night against the Washington Wizards.

The last time he saw action for the Brooklyn Nets was in their Dec. 1 loss to the Wizards in Washington, when he played four minutes and scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting.

Musa has played in seven games, totaling 26 minutes, for Brooklyn, scoring 12 points with three rebounds, one assist and two steals. He is 6-for-14 overall from the floor, missing all six of his 3-point attempts, and is 0-for-2 at the stripe.

Much of Musa’s off-the-court work has been adding bulk to his 6-foot-9 frame and he is up to about 208 pounds after being listed at 195 prior to the NBA Draft.

Musa entered the draft after three years with Cedevita in Croatia’s A-1 Liga and the regional Adriatic Basketball Association. He also played in 2015-16 Euroleague action and participated with Cedevita in Eurocup competition the last two seasons.

Last season, he played in 71 games across all competitions, averaging 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 23.1 minutes per game. He made 14 starts and shot 47 percent overall, 31.3 percent from 3-point range and 80.4 percent at the free throw line.

Musa was held out of NBA Summer League play by the Nets because of his workload last season, in which he set career-highs for games and minutes played (1,642). That total exceeded his minutes played from the previous two seasons combined (1,612).

His next action was in mid-September with the Bosnian national team in losses to Finland and the Czech Republic that effectively ended Bosnia’s hopes of going to China next year. Musa hurt his ankle late in the loss to the Czechs on Sept. 16.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has since been eliminated from contention for the World Cup after losses to Bulgaria and Finland in the most recent international window on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3.

While with Long Island, Musa has been getting some time at the point guard spot — the position he played for his national team as well — and has done well. Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson told the New York Post earlier this month that it’s part of the learning curve for Musa:

"“That’s what the G League is for. That’s what Long Island is for, to experiment with stuff and I love that (Long Island coach Will Weaver) is doing it. It’s a great idea. Give him opportunities; it’s more than thinking, ‘OK, he’s going to be our point guard of the future.’“You know how it is with multiple ballhandlers. It’s great for him to get that opportunity to do that. All-out point guard, that’s probably going to be a long shot, But I like what we’re seeing.”"

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The Nets have not put a timetable (surprise!) on Musa’s return.