LAS VEGAS — In many ways, last year was a humbling rookie season for Dzanan Musa. The Nets hope it was a helpful one.

Brooklyn’s first-round draft pick was forced to toil in the G League and watch while second-round selection Rodions Kurucs not only played but started.

The lesson was clear for the 20-year-old Musa: He had to play for the moniker on his chest, not the one on his back. And as the 6-foot-9 wing has started to do just that in Summer League, he could force himself into the Nets rotation — or at least onto the game-day roster.

“That’s the most important for me: to be in the rotation of Brooklyn, to put the team first in front of me,” said Musa, who is averaging a team-high 13.8 points. “I think I’m doing that pretty well.”

The rotation in Brooklyn must have seemed as far away as Musa’s native Bosnia. He logged just 39 minutes spread over nine cameos last season, essentially relegated to the G League.

Kurucs could empathize. The year before, the 21-year-old Latvian had been mothballed by Barcelona.

“It was tough, especially [because] he’d never been in that situation. In Europe, he was playing always in the starting five in good teams,” Kurucs said. “I’ve been in a situation like that in Barcelona, and I know how it is sitting on the bench. Definitely it was tough for him. But now he’s showing great attitude and work ethic and he’s working hard. So he’s been great.”

In Wednesday’s Summer League win over Orlando, Musa finished with a team-high 20 points and eight boards, shooting 8-of-15 and 3-of-5 from deep. He scored 12 of the Nets’ 14 points during a key second-quarter stretch in which they blew the game open.

“I just realized I’m maturing and I’m letting the game come to me,” Musa said. “I’m not going towards the game, I’m not chasing anything. I’m just playing the game that I love, and the second quarter was my quarter, and I’m happy that I helped my guys.”

Musa went into Wednesday shooting just 31 percent overall and 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from 3-point range. But he sealed Monday’s victory over Washington with a block at the buzzer, and he was even better on defense against Orlando. After playing suspect defense as a rookie, it’s an auspicious sign.

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving added to Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie, all the Nets need Musa to do is guard and hit open looks.

“We did challenge him,” assistant coach Adam Harrington said. “It was really good to see him get some catch-and-shoot shots. That’s where he can help us: providing space and shooting when he’s open.

“His decision-making in the four games has gotten better. We’re going to put the ball in your hands: When you have it, make the right decision. Sometimes that’s shoot it, sometimes that’s drive it, sometimes that’s move it. He’s done well.

“Then we wanted him to compete defensively. … Every night you’re guarding somebody at a really high level, so he needed to use his length and size and athleticism to compete defensively, not get caught up on screens, not be caught flat-footed on the weak side. He’s gotten better.”

That includes in the leadership department.

“He’s been great,” Kurucs said. “You can see now, he’s been scoring, he’s been improving his leadership. He’s tried to talk to everyone, tried to start to help the players, talk to them more. That’s what I like a lot, because before he wasn’t doing that. Now he’s doing great. I like that he comes to talk to me and explains something to everybody and helps them. That’s big. So he’s improving a lot.”