Dzanan Musa - Bosnian sensation

[UcanUwill]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZoL32deWtE&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

[Stackey]

There is a story in Bosnian media that coach Roy Williams tried to convince Musa's parents that North Carolina is best place for his future development, and to impress them he let Michael Jordan say a word or two to them via skype

Full story in English
http://www.sarajevotimes.com/michael-jordan-invited-dzanan-musa-to-america/

[Stackey]

He was really good in the last game for Cedevita, some great passing skills were demonstrated
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YW4hdotJcE[/youtube]

But it was Croatian league game, that's not high level of basketball. Still, I'm pretty sure he will look like a superstar in the U - 17 World Championship this summer, against his own age group.

[Stackey]

Just 11 days untill U - 17 World Championship

Preparation game vs Spain yesterday

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ju_THMzZyk[/youtube]

[Stackey]

It's just 4 days before U - 17 World Championship, time for him to confirm his potential in the front of the entire World

Highlights from the second preparation game vs Spain
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DKajfGLFeQ[/youtube]

[Stackey]

Two days before U - 17 Worlds Championship

We are not afraid of Americans, We are going for Gold!

The two test matches against the national team of Spain were the last test before the upcoming World Cup in Spain for young BiH basketball players, current champions of Europe.

“We’re going to Spain in a completely different role. Of course that we are among the favorites, together with the United States and Canada. I think that everyone have big, too big respect for America, but it is quite unnecessary. On the field, at the beginning of the match, the score is 0: 0. They are not starting with 30 points more, so that they have some advantages. With the Bosnian mentality and defiance, we will have a lot to show them if we encounter them at the World Cup,” said the captain Džanan Musa, currently the best young player in Europe.
Amar Barukčija, Sani Čampara, Emir Čerkezović, Džanan Musa, Lazar Mutić, Vedran Mirković, Emir Bačvić, Aljoša Janković, Miladin Vlačić, Adi Alikadić, Srđan Kočić and Drago Cvitanović will defend colors of BiH in Spain.

“I think that our generation will stay together. There is no end to this generation. With Mirza Teletović and Jusuf Nurkić, with new generations, I think this will be a special era for BiH basketball in a year or two … The one who is the real patriot, I think, despite all the obstacles, will stay with the national team.Personally, nothing would make me play for another team, no money, no conditions. It is a special feeling when our anthem starts playing and I stand still. I could never imagine another anthem or flag, except ours,” said Musa.

http://www.sarajevotimes.com/not-afraid-americans-going-gold/

[Stackey]

And U - 17 World Championship starts today. Let see in the next couple of days is he that good as I think he is.

Bosna and Herzegovina U17 - Dominican Republic U17 stream and stats
http://www.fiba.com/world/u17/2016/2306/Bosnia-and-Herzegovina-Dominican-Republic

[Bosnian Diehard]

We won our first game against the Dominican Republic 84-59. Musa led the team with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. He shot 55% from the field. Also, although I don't put too much stock into +/- but his was +34 .

[Bosnian Diehard]

Yesterday, Musa (and the whole BiH team) had a bad outing vs. France. 19 pts, 4 ast, 2 reb poor shooting (4/18). I'll update on today's game when it's done.

[Bosnian Diehard]

Much better against South Korea. 36 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, (11/23 shooting). We'll see how he does in R16.

[Bosnian Diehard]

Disappointing loss by 3 points to Australia in the Round of 16. Musa had 34 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl on poor shooting (9/24). Nonetheless, he's first in scoring in the tournament at 30.2 ppg, 16th in rebounding with 7.8 rpg, and 18th in assists with 2.8 apg.

[Von Bismarck]

Dzanan played very good tournament but he evidently struggled against athletically dominant players such as Pons and Hoard. That might be a problem for his transition to NBA basketball one day.

His AST to TO and STL to TO ratios are negative but I guess that's because he has the ball all the time, basically playing 1 vs 5.

I have a question for you guys that follow this kid closely. Why does he bend he shoulders when he has the ball & runs? He looks as if a rather old guy is trying to run.

[Stackey]

Bosnia was eliminated early but Musa is playing great tournament, he is the leading scorer of the event.

Good from him in this tournament:

13/34 for three after 5 games.

There were and probably there are still some question marks about his outside shooting, but 13/34 for 3 after five games seems decent. He isn't Curry obviously, but his shoot isn't completely broken at all.


Bad from him in this tournament:

His first step is quick, but he kinda seems like one trick pony. He is only good when he is going left and 90% of time he will try to go left when he penetrates, right side doesn't exist for him. Teams with good scouting figured that.





By the way, today he dropped 50 points against Taiwan and that's a new FIBA U17 record. He did that for just 27 minutes played.

[Bosnian Diehard]

50 points (albeit vs. Chinese Taipei) on 69% shooting!

[Bosnian Diehard]

Musa with 34 pts, 10 reb, 4 stl, 2 blk, (55% FG) in a 23 point victory over Dom. Republic.

[Stackey]

Bosnia ended on awful 9th place, but Musa is the top scorer of the tournament.

34 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3 assists for 32.4 minutes per game

53.7% for two(58/108)

33.3% for three(16/48)

69.8% free throws(74/106)

So after he was a top scorer(two times actually, both in 2014 and 2015 when he was a MVP too and Bosnia ended as 1th) of the U - 16 European Championship, he is now top scorer of the U - 17 World Championship. One can argue how good is he as a prospect, but there is no question about this: Musa is one of the most dominant player in the FIBA Youth competitions ever.

His 50 points game vs Taipei
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBcbUv5uXYc[/youtube]

Now I'm waiting for two things:

- Scout report from Givony from DraftExpress. He was there in Spain. Although, according to some his twitter comments, he isn't the biggest Musa fan out there, so I don't expect eulogy. But I want to see his opinion which I really respect.

- Highlights video from youtube user "NBADraftProspects". He really makes good videos of young prospects, and he announced that he will make highlights of Musa from this tournament.

[Stackey]

NbaDraftProspects channel made his FIBA U17 highlights as promissed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGfl_FBid-Q


Longer highlights, with some preparation games too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxea5dX_YiU

[Stackey]

It's finally here, Draft Express opinion after U17 Worlds:


Dzanan Musa, 6'8, SG/SF, Cedevita, 1999

Strengths

-Extremely talented ball-handler and shot-creator. Essentially played point guard for Bosnia. Plays at a different speed than other players his age. Sees the game at a very high level
-65% of his offense came in pick and roll, isolation or transition situations at the U17s
-Can find the open man off the dribble. Good court vision and highly creative passer when he wants to be. Makes pinpoint passes into the post or pushing ball ahead in transition
-Gets low with the ball, changes speeds and directions. Solid first step. Can string together some really complicated sequences with the ball
-Can reject the ball screen and get to the rim driving either direction
-Tough shot-maker. Finds a great deal of offense pulling up off the dribble, even beyond the 3-point line. Has excellent touch
-Also makes shots with feet set
-Can rise up over the top of a defender and knock down touch jumpers
-Finishes with either hand creatively around the basket
-Tremendous overall scoring instincts. Career 28 points per-40 in FIBA play.
-Has a knack for finding rebounds coming off the defensive glass
-Hot blooded player. Extremely competitive. Teammates on Bosnia seem to like playing with him.

Weaknesses

-Has developed a strange and concerning hunch in his back that could become a real issue long term. Perpetually hunched forward in his stance. Something he needs to address immediately
-Somewhat of a one man show. Wants to go one on one every time, making him fairly predictable. Struggled badly in the 1/8th finals against an unimposing Australia team that finished the tournament in 7th place (34 points on 34 possessions)
-Volume scorer. 55% career TS% in FIBA competition
-Averaged more turnovers than assists at the U17s. Career 1/1 assist to turnover ratio
-Did his best work of the tournament against the worst teams (50 points against Taiwan for example, 36 against Korea, 32 and 34 vs Dominican Republic). Was 4/18 vs France
-Lacks a degree of strength and explosiveness as a finisher around the basket in traffic. Struggles to finish over length. Will he be able to finish effectively inside the paint against legit rim protectors in the pros?
-Drives into the teeth of the defense frequently without a plan, finding mixed results
-Can he be effective without monopolizing the ball exclusively the way he did for Bosnia?
-Extremely reactive on the court. Body language is very poor. Stares down the referees every time he's unable to score. Some real concerns about his attitude. Has made some very controversial statements in the press indicating a real lack of humility and self-awareness
-Mostly indifferent defensively, which is not surprising considering the heavy load he was asked to shoulder. Wingspan (6'8 ¼) measured the same as his height. Hunched forward in his stance, making it difficult for him to stay in front of quicker players.

Outlook Widely considered the top talent in the 1999 European generation. Already saw minutes for Euroleague team Cedevita despite only being 16. Undoubtedly a tremendously skilled offensive player with outstanding instincts for putting the ball in the basket and finding the open man. Nonetheless, some real concerns about how that will translate to higher levels, especially if his attitude doesn't improve. Will his back be a cause for concern down the road?


http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2016-FIBA-U17-World-Championship-Scouting-Reports-Wing-Players-5631

[Stackey]

Musa does Musa thing even for the first national team as it seems:

Watch on YouTube

This was today/yesterday in a preparation game against Belgium. Musa scored 13 and actually he was better in this game than Bosnian NBA players Nurkic and Teletovic lol.

Full game stats
http://www.fibalivestats.com/u/MSL/314277/index.html

[UcanUwill]

Musa does Musa thing even for the first national team as it seems:

Watch on YouTube

This was today/yesterday in a preparation game against Belgium. Musa scored 13 and actually he was better in this game than Bosnian NBA players Nurkic and Teletovic lol.

Full game stats
http://www.fibalivestats.com/u/MSL/314277/index.html

Very impressive.