Brooklyn has an energetic wing coming its way.
With the No. 29 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Nets chose Dzanan Musa from Bosnia-Herzegovina on the Barclays Center stage Thursday evening.
“This is like my dream come true and I’m willing to work hard every minute on the court,” Musa said in his press conference.
.@DzananM13 reacts to being selected 29th overall by the @BrooklynNets in the #NBADraft. pic.twitter.com/5gF57EQyIA
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 22, 2018
Musa was described as a “Bosnian scoring machine” by ESPN’s Mike Schmitz, as the guard averaged 10.5 points on 47.5 percent shooting in 20.2 minutes per game in 2017-18 with Cedevita in Croatia. It is believed Musa would have been chosen higher in the draft if he chose to stay in Europe an extra year, but he plans to play in the NBA for the 2018-19 season.
“Most teams wanted me to stay in Europe, but as I said, if you want to chase your dreams, you have to just listen to yourself. My heart told me that place is here.” pic.twitter.com/dZez25NW9G
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) June 22, 2018
The 6-foot, 9-inch 19-year-old has been no stranger to the spotlight, as he has played professionally since he was 16 years old. In his time at the FIBA level, he was the leading scorer in the FIBA Championship from 2014-16 and is one of the most decorated players at that level.
Since joining Cedevita Zagreb in 2015-16, Musa’s minutes have risen and his shooting numbers have followed. Musa has also shown rebounding presence, averaging 3.2 rebounds per game last season in Europe.
Areas for Musa to improve on include his defense and physicality. He has been inconsistent in the past, and bulking up can do him some good in the NBA. His overt passion can also play to both his advantage and disadvantage, according to nbadraft.net.
If you don't know who that is, you're in luck because @ignisyon got you covered. pic.twitter.com/kTtM7DdDRb
— The Brooklyn Game (@TheBKGame) June 22, 2018
Schmitz also referred to Musa as a “big-time” Kobe Bryant fan, so maybe we will see some Mamba Mentality from him.
Among moves between teams such as Dallas and Atlanta making headlines, Brooklyn stood pat with the lower first-round pick. It was reported briefly by Adrian Wojnarowski that Brooklyn was looking to move its No. 29 pick just before announcing the Musa selection, but the Nets do not plan to move Musa, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
The Nets get a strong scorer in Musa and what Nets fans hope is a talent that will pay off by going to the NBA ahead of schedule.
Excited and thankful to be a part of the @BrooklynNets!!! #getready
— Dzanan Musa (@DzMusa) June 22, 2018
