Utah Jazz sign un-drafted UCLA rookie Johnny Juzang

The Utah Jazz may not have made any draft picks or significant trades on draft night, but that doesn’t mean that the franchise from Salt Lake City was left out of the draft process entirely, as they may have signed one of the steals of the draft, who somehow went un-drafted. UCLA’s Johnny Juzang burst onto the scene as one of the big stories during the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which saw the UCLA Bruins make it all the way to the Final 4, who then opted to return to college for the 2021/22 season, instead of turning pro, like many expected him to do after their cinderella run.

Despite little improvements in his game over the past year, his third at the college level, Juzang is experienced and mature enough to step into the NBA level and compete, but don’t expect him to win a job with this squad immediately. Juzang, standing at 6’5″ and weighing 209 pounds has a body that can succeed at the next level, but to do that, he will need to seriously improve some areas of his game if he is to make the Jazz roster in 2022/23.

Juzang is a fantastic scorer, as he averaged 16 PPG, 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game at his height in 2021, and while there were no real improvements in his final year at UCLA, his offensive game projects well to the modern day NBA. A career 35% shooter from beyond the arc, Juzang has the game to improve at the next level with plenty of work, and while he doesn’t challenge the rim and can be below par on the defensive end at times, his game is well worth taking a chance on, as the Jazz clearly see some potential in the 21-year old.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Utah Jazz have signed Juzang to a two-way deal, and while it’s not a given that he will compete for a spot on this roster, given the need for depth and scoring alongside Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson, there’s no reason why he can’t make the team. Juzang has the size to compete with forwards in the NBA, but has the silky smooth skills and shooting ability to match up with any guards in the game today, and if a professional coaching staff can get him working on the defensive end or attacking the basket off the dribble, he may be one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Given the Jazz didn’t have a draft pick and didn’t make a big splash with either Rudy Gobert or Mitchell (which most didn’t expect to happen on draft night anyway), this is a quality, under the radar move, and if developed properly, there’s no reason that Johnny Juzang can’t be contributing for this team off the bench in the future.