Everybody is talking about Doncic. Nobody is talking about Musa.
Who comes to mind when you think of a foreign player heading into the 2018 NBA draft? It’s Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, of course, the man who has shocked the European and international stage with his play … at only 19 years old, even. But what if I told you that there is an even better scorer coming from overseas, a player who has also declared for the draft?
His name is Dzanan Musa. He’s a 6’9” small forward who currently plays for Cedevita of the Croatian league. He has the experience you’d expect of an international player, too, having played professional ball since he was 15 years old (around the same age Doncic started).
Musa has earned significant hardware overseas. He was the MVP of the U15 Euroleague team in 2015, was the Adriatic League Liga ABA Top Prospect, and won the Eurocup Rising Cup Trophy this season.
Musa’s strengths include his facilitating, versatility, and shooting. He has the distinct ability to find the open man. Whether in the post or perimeter, Musa shines in half-court passing. Even though assists numbers don’t fully show it, his ability to facilitate can be felt where numbers don’t show–through team chemistry.
Shooting is Musa’s calling card. Whether it’s dribble size-ups, contested, or beyond the line, Musa is a sniper. His size, mixed with his shooting, allows him to play one through five.
And that’s another of Musa’s strengths. He has experience playing point guard to power forward and that’s great news for NBA teams. He could be a team’s ‘swiss army knife,’ that is, called upon to do whenever needs to get done. Your backup point guard is hurt? Then put Musa in to facilitate the offense. Your backup small forward is out for a blow? Put Musa in and he’ll be a combo scorer for you.
Courtesy: NetsDaily
But let’s not overlook his issues. Musa’s main weakness is defense. At only 195 pounds, he is currently too light to compete against average NBA players–especially if he wants to play (even occasionally) at power forward. Musa definitely needs to hit the gym.
If he can gain ten-to-twenty pounds of muscle, then he would be physically able to defend in the NBA. He could be the sixth man to give a team scoring–sometimes in bunches. He could also be used whenever a team isn’t flowing offensively and needs help from a facilitator.
As far as an NBA comparison is concerned, I think Musa is like Charlotte’s Nic Batum. Although Batum has a heavier build, Musa could be that body over time. Both players display excellent passing ability, play multiple positions, and shoot the three effectively.
Yes, I believe Dzanan Musa will be an effective player in the NBA. He possesses the facilitating and scoring ability that teams need in the today’s league. If he continues to shoot well and improve his defense, then I have no doubt that he’d be a reliable player for years to come.
