Age: 19

Position: Small Forward

College: Overseas on Club KK Cedevita

Measurables

Height: 6’9”

Weight: 195

Wingspan: 6’8.5”

Standing Reach: 8’9”

Max Vertical: 31.5”

European League Statistics with Cedevita (2017/2018)

MPG: 23.1

PPG: 12.4

RPG: 3.5

ASTPG: 1.9

BLKPG: 0.2

FT%: 80.4%

2-PT FG%: 60.3%

3-PT FG%: 31.3%

Comparisons: Rodney Hood, Bigger Jordan Crawford

3 Things to Know

1. Nice set of both driving and shooting skills
2. Good ball handler who uses change of pace very well
3. Can he break Euroball habitats that won’t fly in the NBA?

Strengths

• Shown good range and the ability to shoot from anywhere with a quick release.
• Has the ability to create off the dribble with a nice floater when finishing.
• A good triple threat out of the pick and roll with the ability to shoot, drive, or pass.
• Excellent ball handler who uses changes speeds very well.

Weaknesses

• Will need to bulk up in order to guard stronger NBA wings.
• Only averaged 3.5 RPG last season, and will need to work on crashing the glass.
• Played a lot of isolation ball in Europe. Can he adjust his mindset to a new role in the NBA?
• Needs to slow down and think through decisions. Very reckless at times.

Summary

Dzanan Musa might be the second best European basketball player in this year’s draft class behind Luka Doncic. Musa, a 19-year-old 6’9” 195 lb small forward out of Bosnia, played his 2017-18 season for a club team in the Croatian League called KK Cedevita. There he averaged 12.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and shot 31.3% from 3. Musa is a very talented offensive player who’s shown off good range and the ability to knock down shots from anywhere on the court. He also has the ability to drive into the paint, especially out of a pick and roll, and finish with either hand around the rim or show. He’s also demonstrated nice touch on a floater when attacking the basket. His impressive ball handling skills helped him create space for his shot off the dribble as he’s shown a great understanding of mixing speeds to keep his defender on their toes. While he’s shown nice offensive potential, his defense could stand to use some work. Guarding on the ball, he’ll need to add to his 195 lb frame if he wants to compete with some of the bigger and stronger NBA wings, and he’ll need to work on his lateral quickness as he has a hard time switching and staying with quicker guards. Off the ball, he’ll need to improve his focus and engagement as he’s shown times where he gets lost on help-side defense. In the rebounding aspect of his game, he only generated 3.5 RPG in 71 games played so he’ll need to work on his rebounding skills and crashing the defensive and offensive glass. Finally, going from Europe to the NBA is never an easy transition as many people struggle or can’t do it at all thanks to different styles and methodologies. In Musa’s case, he played in a lot of isolation situations, which will not be the case in the NBA as he won’t be the primary option on whatever team chooses him. He also had quite a bit of freedom on club KK Cedevita and made a lot of careless playmaking decisions in his passing and shooting. One aspect of playing in Europe that will help him is the fact that he played a total of 71 games last season, an advantage over a college player who only played around 30-35 games in a season. Overall, Musa has shown a good offensive toolset at the young age of 19, but he’ll need to improve his defense and get adjusted to a different role and playing style in the NBA. Look for Musa to be selected anywhere from the late first round to the early second round.