JULY 15: The Jazz have officially signed Juzang, the team announced.
JUNE 24: The Jazz will sign undrafted former UCLA wing Johnny Juzang to a two-way deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Following a 2019/20 freshman season with Kentucky, Juzang transferred to his hometown UCLA. While with the Bruins, the 6’6″ swingman was named Second-Team All-Pac-12 in 2021 and First-Team All-Pac 12 in 2022. For his contributions to UCLA’s NCAA Final Four run in 2021, Juzang was honored as an NCAA All-Tourney selection. The 21-year-old was also voted onto the All-American Third-Team during what wound up being his final collegiate season.
During his junior season, Juzang averaged 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.7 SPG through 30 games, including 29 starts. He posted a slash line of .432/.360/.835.
Utah went without a pick in this year’s draft.
I always managed to somehow get the UCLA games and seemingly no other ones when listening to late tourney games on the radio in 2021. This guy was always in on the action – wish him luck.
Love this guy! Just look at his 2021 NCAA tournament run. He’s a big time scorer and mentally tough in the big moments. They only lost to Gonzaga because of a last second desperation shot from half court. Pretty impressive run! I imagine he’ll really shine in the playoffs when the pressure is truly on.
This past year he was apparently injured and had struggles with his shot confidence because of it. That’s quite common. Based on his fire and competitive play, I imagine he just needs time to fully recover and he’ll be great! This is a truly fortunate opportunity for the Jazz and him.
I’m sure there’s concerns about his athleticism and defense, but that’s the case for almost every college player. Most players have to improve their speed and muscle mass to be successful in the NBA. Just look at Curry from his rookie season to today. You’ll see a major improvement in muscle tone and size, comparatively.
I see him as Klay Thompson type of role. Could be the primary scorer when needed, but can play off the ball and score on the wing as well. He’s got the size to play 2 or 3. Should be fun to see his development and usage going forward.
He should’ve been drafted
For sure. It seems there’s too many players to look at when you consider overseas players as well. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not as talented. A lot of times teams say they took the best player available but really pick for need.
Keep in mind, there’s been many undrafted players, over the years, that have made the transition to regular rotation guys. The ones that make it are simply the guys that continue to work and improve.
Curry is the most recent example of a guy who could’ve settled for being a sharpshooter. Instead, everyone sees how hard he works before every game, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Guys like him have a deep need to improve. They’re never satisfied with their games.
They also build great endurance. Without great endurance how can you be great at the end of the game when everyone else is tired? If you want a training regimen, ask Karl Malone and Stockton. They both lasted 19 years and rarely missed games. Definitely something to look into.
One last tip that too many forget is to sharpen and hone the mind. Guys like Chris Paul and Stockton are great examples of guys who developed their minds which also sharpened their focus. Stockton was legendary for being immune to trash talking. That takes mental focus and discipline.
I’d start by reading and solving mysteries, in any form you can, says the lady with the highest recorded IQ. That’s what she recommended. I agree with her. I solve mysteries for a living and I have noticed a big difference in my intelligence, perception, memory, and analytical skills from before to now. Worth looking into.
After seeing him in the Summer League, I can see why teams passed on him. His confidence seems broken for some reason. Although, he’s already hit what ended up being a game winner. The Jazz can help him with that going forward.
He just needs some mental retraining. Tends to happen after guys get injured in college, etc. I’d start with Tony Robbins courses. He’s a great motivator!