Dzanan Musa - Bosnian sensation

[Curmudgeon]

After Doncic, is Musa the second best international prospect in the draft? What about Okobo and Kurucs?

[Archx]

After Doncic, is Musa the second best international prospect in the draft? What about Okobo and Kurucs?

He is playing in a really bad league compared to the NBA, so i wouldn't rate him that high. But he did shown a ton of potential.

[SeattleJazzFan]

After Doncic, is Musa the second best international prospect in the draft? What about Okobo and Kurucs?

i'd put okobo above him, kurucs just below.

[armin-x]

He would be TOP 7 pick next year

no one has dominated in the FIBA youth tournaments like he does....since Ricky Rubio probbably
https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/statistics/p/pid/116216/sid/12180/tid/2602/_/2016_FIBA_U17_World_Championship/player-leaders.html

honestly, If he wasn't in the Doncic's class, your media would be all over him...

He was badly utilized in the Cedevita so he dropped a lot. he is the player who needs ball in his hands, but that just hadn't happen there...he was role player, but still able to be their first scorer in just 8 FGA (3rd in the team) on 50% shooting

I really think he could be 6'9 Manu...he is that versatile scorer, crazy competitive and good decision maker (that will surprise you the most)

Of course, he first need to add some muscle...that will be a proccess

[burek3]

He was coached by Jure "Defensive Obrva™" Zdovc. His basketball is outdated by couple of decades.

[Curmudgeon]

He was coached by Jure "Defensive Obrva™" Zdovc. His basketball is outdated by couple of decades.

Which leads me to the next question: Can Musa play defense? How many positions can he guard? What was his rebound rate? From all reports Okobo is very good defensively, and Kurucs, who steals the ball at a fairly high rate, is at least adequate. What can we expect from Musa at the defensive end?

[burek3]

He was coached by Jure "Defensive Obrva™" Zdovc. His basketball is outdated by couple of decades.

Which leads me to the next question: Can Musa play defense? How many positions can he guard? What was his rebound rate? From all reports Okobo is very good defensively, and Kurucs, who steals the ball at a fairly high rate, is at least adequate. What can we expect from Musa at the defensive end?

Well, I would describe him more like "unmotivated" in defense rather than he plays it badly. When he's pissed off, he does get down low and dogs his opponent. He can guard 2-3 mostly, maybe a slower 1. Same goes for boxing out and rebounding.

His main and true problem still is his head. I understand Zdovc is a hard-ass coach and young players can be frustrated with him, but Musa flashed upper problems with various teammates (most notably Teletovic) and coaches.

All he wants to do is score Preferably raining threes, a dunk here and there... More like a streetball player than legit 5v5 basketball player tbh.

[JPF]

If Musa gained +20lbs of muscles, I would be very eager to watch him play in NBA next season already. I think he could be pushed around too easily right now and eventualy end up riding bench for what is actualy such a cheap reason considering his offensive talent. Transition to NBA would be notably easier for him that way, I can't imagine him playing against Kawhi, Lebron, Giannis or somebody like Covington right now.
I would consider him as a draft&stash type of player, since imo he needs one more year in europe, potentialy in one of the euroleague teams, going one step at a time.

[Stackey]

Btw while he can't say it openly, I follow his interviews and it's pretty clear that his wish is to be drafted by Spurs

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[Stackey]

(NBA.COM/pacers)

Musa Knows How to "Give All to Basketball"

It was one of those routine pre-draft workout interviews, in which players well-versed in how to talk with the media profess confidence in their NBA hoop dreams.

Džanan Musa (pronounced JA-nan MOO-sa) was gliding through that perfunctory obligation at St. Vincent Center on Monday after working out for the Pacers, and had just about exhausted all the questions from reporters when he dropped a golden nugget into the conversation.

It was the one about living on his own, nearly five hours from his parents, to attend a basketball academy in Sarajevo, the largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina — at age 11.

Yes, 11.

Also known as eleven.

Two years short of being a teenager.

Of course he was living on a school campus, rooming with a relative or older kids, right??

"Nah," he said. "Just on my own. Just on my own."

On your own?

"Strange, but you have to sacrifice to become a professional basketball player. When you want to become a legend, you have to give all to basketball."

Even at 11.

You can decide for yourself whether Musa's parents were negligent or the ultimate in non-helicopter parenthood, but it seems to have worked for him. Now just a month past turning 19, he's widely regarded as a first-round selection in the June 21 draft, one who could be available to the Pacers with the 23rd pick. He shows up in some mock drafts going ahead of Pacers and in others after the Pacers select, but he remains a possibility.

In his analysis, though, he should be long gone before the Pacers' turn comes around.

"I think that I'm lottery," he said. "But if things don't go (that way) I have to satisfy myself with the first-round pick. But I think that I will show as time goes that I will be able to play at the highest level."

Hey, if you can handle living on your own in a dangerous city at age 11, you develop confidence. Musa has it, and has some justification for it. He turned pro at 16 as the ninth-youngest player to compete in the EuroLeague. He excelled in Under-16 and Under-17 competition, earning several individual and team honors, and once scored 50 points in 27 minutes against a Chinese team in the World Cup tournament. This past season, playing for Cedevita in the Croatian League, he scored 35 points in 27 minutes in a game.

He's regarded as fearless, energetic, versatile, and essentially ambidextrous. But he also lacks NBA athleticism, strength (he's 6-foot-9 and says he's 200 pounds), and refinement. Some of his shortcomings will fade with age, but having just turned 19 he remains an uncertain prospect.

He could become a steal for a team that drafts him late in the first round, or he might never mature enough physically to become an effective NBA player.

Logically, he should have waited another year or two to develop before entering the NBA Draft, but there's been nothing logical about his career to this point. Why change now?

"I think I'm ready," he said. "I have enough talent. But I wanted to show the NBA and the scouts here that I want to work hard and develop myself as the player I want to be."

Monday's workout was Musa's first for an NBA team. He has four more scheduled, for Portland, Denver, San Antonio, and Utah. They aren't lottery teams, to Musa's disappointment, but teams with first-round picks in the same neighborhood as the Pacers.

Musa's confidence doesn't appear to be a cover for insecurities. It's hard-earned, through all those lonely nights in Saravejo. He readily admits to the difficulty of being an 11-year-old kid in a dangerous city, of packing his bags two or three times to prepare to go home. But his love for basketball always won out.

"It was hard," he said. "I struggled a lot.

"I cried almost every day for the first three or four months, but at that point I get over it and I made friends there. I'm good about it now."

Musa's parents paid for his apartment and meal vouchers, which enabled him to eat at a nearby campus with older students, but they couldn't protect him in a city where the streets go dark at night. He made friends with older teammates, with whom he practiced two or three times nearly each day.

"The lights would go out at 9 at night, and we would have to walk 25 minutes uphill to go home," he said.

"It was tough for them and for me. But they were like dogs in the city; they were tough. I had no problems."

He doesn't expect problems now. But confidence aside, he knows he's a project. No matter how mature he might be emotionally, he'll need time to improve physically. "I have to gain some muscles," he says.

He's also aware of the pitfalls for players who try to enter the NBA too soon.

"They see me as a project," he said. "A lot of rookies are thrown to the dust. I don't want to let that happen to me. I want to compete and I want to show I can play on the highest level.

"I have to work a lot on myself."

Musa is fluent in the NBA, watching "every single game if I can" when they come on at 3 a.m. in his country. He's also fluent in English. And, he fully understands the nature of auditions such as the one he had on Monday, to the point he can make rather sophisticated jokes.

Asked which NBA teams he followed most closely, he said, "Indian...," purposely cutting off the response before adding, "I'm just kidding."

He was saying what he was supposed to say, and let it be known he knew exactly what he was doing. He added, though, that he likes the playing style of the Pacers, and made it a point to include two of the other three teams he'll be working out for, Portland and Atlanta, as well as San Antonio.

"...the teams who share the ball," he said. "I like that kind of basketball. I don't like the run-and-gun basketball. I like the European style of basketball."

This 19-year-old is about to enter a brave new world. But then it won't be the first time.

[Dzon Dilindzer]

today hes having a workout at Denver and apparently had a workout at Brooklyn before Indiana, but no one reported it

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[Mirotic12]

After Doncic, is Musa the second best international prospect in the draft? What about Okobo and Kurucs?

Kurucs would probably be better if he could stay healthy. But he's made out of glass. He's always injured.

[psimanic1]

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?s=19

[Stackey]

As much as I know those are realistic options right now:

18. Spurs
21. Jazz
23. Pacers
24. Blazers

[Dr Positivity]

I have top 10 on my big board. I know not everyone is blown away by his tools, but for me Musa's number for his age and competition level are more impressive than basically any of the NCAA prospects in the first round this year. He is not Doncic cause Doncic is just a freak. But being the best player statistically on an Adriatic team at 18 is very impressive. To put it in perspective Jokic at some age was about 18/10/3/.569 per 40 in Adriatic. His NBA per minute numbers are better than that now. Saric was putting up like 13/10/3/2 per 40 on bad %s. Nurkic was only playing 6mpg although he was awesome in those 6 minutes. Musa is 21/5/3/2/.613 per 40.

[baldur]

I know not everyone is blown away by his tools, but for me Musa's number for his age and competition level are more impressive than basically any of the NCAA prospects in the first round this year. He is not Doncic cause Doncic is just a freak. But being the best player statistically on an Adriatic team at 18 is very impressive.

he is solid. and the less rank he get picked at, the more chances he will be the steal of the draft.

[zzaj]

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?s=19

This is really not impressive for a supposed shooter. His shot looks flat and his mechanics look a bit too loose. I also don't like that his stance tends to be a bit too "hip out" vs. completely squared up.

This is forgivable at the end of a long shooting day of tons of reps...hopefully that's what we're seeing.

[dakomish23]

I didn’t even know this thread existed. I’ve been on Musa island all year. Most ppl have no interest.

I hope he goes to SAS

[Stackey]

There is really not much more to add to this thread

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[burek3]

A bit low for him, but wish him the best!