Jazz Sign UCLA Wing Johnny Juzang To Two-Way Deal
Jun 23, 2022, 11:41 PM | Updated: 11:42 pm
Utah Jazz two-way guard Johnny Juzang (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz are signing Johnny Juzang to a two-way contract after the UCLA wing went unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shortly after the conclusion of the draft.
“UCLA’s Johnny Juzang has agreed to a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, source tells ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
UCLA’s Johnny Juzang has agreed to a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2022
Juzang worked out for the Jazz in late May in the team’s first pre-draft workout after the NBA Combine.
Johnny Juzang Draft Bio
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.
Johnny Juzang's Pro Day 🤩
Credit: @DraftExpress pic.twitter.com/IuKIR6jF3V— Harvard-Westlake Boys Basketball 🏀 (@HWHoops) May 23, 2022
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.
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.
This seems like a smart pickup from the Jazz.
Would have been a first rounder last year but went back to chase a title at UCLA. https://t.co/OXutxclbte
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 24, 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.
The newest Jazz will likely be a part of the team’s Summer League roster which begins play at the Salt Lake Summer League on July 5 before the team travels to Las Vegas for the NBA’s 30-team Summer League on July 7.
