Juzang, Rhoden Visit Jazz For Draft Workout
May 25, 2022, 6:46 PM | Updated: 6:47 pm
UCLA guard Johnny Juzang will workout for the Utah Jazz (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz announced their first set of draft workouts which will be held Thursday.
The Jazz don’t currently have any draft picks in the June event, but could trade or buy back into the draft this summer.
Here’s a look at the six prospects working out for the Jazz on Thursday.
Trevion Williams: Center – Purdue
One of the highest-rated of the players visiting the Jazz in the first workout, Trevion Williams is a 6-10 center who played four years at Purdue.
Williams is one of the better passing big men in the draft and brings toughness after averaging 7.0 rebounds during his college career.
Was helpful to see Trevion Williams get a lot of shots up at the Octagon Pro Day in Chicago. Has pretty nice touch for a guy who didn't take many 3s in college. Has elite footwork and is arguably the best passing big man in this draft. pic.twitter.com/BwZSSYg0Vv
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 22, 2022
However, he plays below the rim and had poor shot-blocking numbers with the Boilermakers.
Williams is projected as a late second-round draft pick.
Johnny Juzang: Guard – UCLA
Johnny 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 has slipped as a prospect.
The guard has excellent size at 6-7 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
Juzang is still projected to be drafted in the second round by most outlets due to his excellent size and scoring instincts.
The guard was a top 50 prospect coming out of high school and originally committed to Kentucky before transferring to UCLA after his freshman season.
Jared Rhoden: Guard – Seton Hall
Jared Rhoden is a 6-6 guard from Seton Hall and earned an invite to the combine after a strong showing at the Portsmouth Invitational.
The guard played four seasons at Seton Hall and averaged 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting.
Danny Ainge was in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine where the @utahjazz spoke to WCC standouts Drew Timme and Jalen Williams, @kslsports has learned. #TakeNote https://t.co/lC2YXzeyBu
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) May 20, 2022
Rhoden is more of a scorer at this point in his career and will need to develop his playmaking if he wants to stick in the NBA.
The guard also interviewed with the Jazz at the combine last weekend.
R.J. Cole: Guard – Connecticut
R.J. Cole is a 6-1 guard out of Connecticut who led the Huskies in scoring at 15.8 points as a senior.
He’s undersized at just over six feet but showed promise as a playmaker averaging 4.1 assists while grabbing 3.4 rebounds per game.
@UConnMBB’s RJ Cole with the smooth transition middy. His Jani-King team is moving the ball well and their lead has grown to 19 #PIT22 pic.twitter.com/7RwDyrkn9u
— P.I.T. (@PIT_Basketball) April 16, 2022
Cole helped himself during his performance at the Portsmith Invitational Tournament prior to the combine.
The guard is hoping to sneak into the second round of the draft but may go undrafted.
Tyson Etienne: Guard – Wichita State
Tyson Etienne put himself on the NBA Draft radar after a standout sophomore season at Wichita State but struggled to maintain that consistency in his junior year.
After averaging 16.3 points while shooting 39 percent from the flooring 2021 with the Shockers, Etienne’s numbers dipped to 14.9 points and 32 percent shooting from deep as a junior.
I'm watching more of Wichita State Guard Tyson Etienne
He's someone who I feel like is always flying up people's boards way too late into the season.
Still an elite shot maker with crazy scoring potential. There's a lot of creative shooters in this class, but he stands out. pic.twitter.com/IeMv8wKj6o
— NBA Draftcast (@NBADraftcast) May 9, 2022
Etienne struggled to finish inside the arc throughout his career shooting just 36 percent over three seasons in college.
The guard comes from athletic roots as former NBA center Marcus Camby is his godfather, and current Philadelphia 76ers center DeAndre Jordan is his cousin.
Etienne is projected as a late second-rounder, to undrafted prospect.
Akoldah Gak: Forward – Australia
Coming out of high school Akoldah Gak was considered a top 200 prospect but opted to turn pro in his native Australia rather than attend college.
At 6-11, Gak has good length for a forward, but at a reported 200-lbs, he’ll need to add weight to compete in the NBA.
Gak attended the Blair Academy in New Jersey before playing the last two seasons professionally in Australia with Illawarra where he appeared in only 12 games.
