Jazz Officially Sign Johnny Juzang To Two-Way Deal
Jul 15, 2022, 1:49 PM
Utah Jazz wing Johnny Juzang (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz signed Johnny Juzang to a two-way contract after the UCLA wing was unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news on draft night, but the team didn’t announce the signing for two weeks after the agreement.
Juzang worked out for the Jazz in late May in the team’s first pre-draft workout after the NBA Combine.
We have officially signed @JohnnyJuzang to a two-way contract 📝
Welcome to Utah! https://t.co/3htiKUafa6 pic.twitter.com/0ewHJgXGKO
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 15, 2022
Juzang has had a difficult first few weeks to begin his NBA career. After agreeing to a deal with the Jazz, the wing was in a car accident in Utah that caused him to miss all three games during the Salt Lake City Summer League.
After clearing concussion protocols, Juzang made his debut with the Jazz at the Vegas Summer League.
Juzang is averaging 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in three appearances with the Jazz. The wing is shooting just 27 percent from the floor, but a healthy 38 percent from the three-point line in Las Vegas.
Johnny Juzang before Joining Jazz
Juzang likely would have been a first-round pick after leading the UCLA Bruins to the Final Four in 2021 but opted to return to school and as a result, slipped as a prospect.
The guard has excellent size at 6-foot-7 and averaged a promising 15.8 points on 48 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent from the three-point line.
The wing was a top 50 prospect coming out of high school and originally committed to Kentucky before transferring to UCLA after his freshman season.
Johnny Juzang gives the @utahjazz a 4-point lead late on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/88UJ0oJab7
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2022
Juzang, who turned 21 in March reclassified from the class of 2020 to the class of 2019 before entering college which makes him a year younger than several juniors in this year’s NBA draft.
The wing’s best stretch of basketball came during the 2021 NCAA Tournament when he averaged 21.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 35 percent from the three-point line.
Juzang scored a career-high 29 points in the Bruins Final Four loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Johnny Juzang's Pro Day 🤩
Credit: @DraftExpress pic.twitter.com/IuKIR6jF3V— Harvard-Westlake Boys Basketball 🏀 (@HWHoops) May 23, 2022
The wing picked up where he left off during his junior season at UCLA recording double-digit scoring outings in 21 of the Bruins first 22 games but saw his numbers slip dramatically down the stretch of his final season in college.
Juzang averaged just 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds over his final seven games at UCLA while shooting 38 percent from the floor and 30 percent from the three-point line.
Two-way players earn half of the NBA’s rookie minimum contract and can split time between the team’s main roster and their G-League affiliate.
