Brooklyn Nets grades: Injury slows Dzanan Musa's development a bit

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Brooklyn Nets first-round pick Dzanan Musa played sparingly at the NBA level as a rookie, but despite a shoulder injury had a solid developmental year.

When the Brooklyn Nets used the 29th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — acquired from the Toronto Raptors in 2017’s trade for DeMarre Carroll — to take Bosnian guard Dzanan Musa, it was evident almost immediately that this was a pick for the future.

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Musa, the seventh-youngest player in the NBA who is celebrating his 20th birthday on Wednesday, came to the NBA after a solid run with Croatian club Cedevita that included a deep run in Eurocup play in 2018.

But at 6-foot-9 and just 208 pounds, Musa’s slight frame made it unlikely he could stand up to the rigors of regular rotational minutes at the NBA level as a rookie.

He was further slowed in training camp by a sprained ankle sustained while at home playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team during qualifying for the FIBA World Cup in September, but he did recover in time to log 25 minutes in the team’s final two preseason games.

As expected, Musa spent much of the season on assignment with the G League’s Long Island Nets, where he spent a lot of time and the 2 and 3 spots, while also getting some minutes at the point guard spot — the position he played frequently at Cedevita and with the BIH national squad.

He was slowed by a partially dislocated shoulder sustained in a G League game in mid-December that sidelined him for six weeks.

Here is the breakdown of Musa’s season based on status:

Games played: 9
Games started: 0
DNP-Coach’s Decision: 11
Inactive-injury: 20
Inactive-healthy scratch: 3
G League Assignment: 38

Musa showed flashes of his penetrating ability during his brief stints with Brooklyn and also looked solid during some mop-up minutes in a pair of playoff games against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The bulk of his 22 shot attempts were from deep, with the next largest percentage coming in the restricted area, showing he has the understanding of what the Nets are trying to accomplish with their pace-and-space system — 3s and layups.

Let’s take a look at Musa’s season in more depth.

Brooklyn Nets grades: Injury slows Dzanan Musa’s development a bit

By Phil Watson | May 8, 2019

Brooklyn Nets first-round pick Dzanan Musa played sparingly at the NBA level as a rookie, but despite a shoulder injury had a solid developmental year.

More from Nothin' But Nets