When the Brooklyn Nets used the 29th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — acquired from the Toronto Raptors in 2017’s trade for DeMarre Carroll — to take Bosnian guard Dzanan Musa, it was evident almost immediately that this was a pick for the future.
Musa, the seventh-youngest player in the NBA who is celebrating his 20th birthday on Wednesday, came to the NBA after a solid run with Croatian club Cedevita that included a deep run in Eurocup play in 2018.
But at 6-foot-9 and just 208 pounds, Musa’s slight frame made it unlikely he could stand up to the rigors of regular rotational minutes at the NBA level as a rookie.