Brooklyn Nets: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards

Rookie of the Year: Dzanan Musa

The 19-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina has long-term potential to be the steal of the 2018 NBA Draft, but how much of an impact will Musa make in the short-term?

Musa is a 6’9″ scorer that the Nets grabbed with the 29th overall pick. Playing for Cedevita in the Croatian League last season, he averaged 12.3 points per game, shooting 47 percent from the field and 31 percent on 3-pointers. He won the EuroCup Rising Star Trophy and the ABA League’s Top Prospect award, and he was voted to the All-ABA League team.

He projects as a shooting guard/small forward, but could theoretically play up to four positions (everything but center). Making a positive contribution — at least on the offensive end — shouldn’t be too difficult for Musa when he’s on the court. He’s that talented.

His challenge as a rookie will be simply getting onto the court.

Musa is at his best when he has freedom to create and the leeway to make mistakes. However, 19-year-old rookies who aren’t lottery picks usually don’t get those luxuries in the NBA. Musa also has a few veterans ahead of him on the depth chart — namely, Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, Caris LeVert and Joe Harris on the wing.

The skills and upside are there for Musa to be a key player for the Nets in the future, but his time to shine may not be this season. Cracking the rotation is a more realistic goal for him than winning Rookie of the Year.

Odds: Highly unlikely