Three things to watch in the first Summer League game

Can Juzang Play Both Ways?

Assuming he makes a speedy recovery from his car wreck, Juzang will be the centerpiece of Utah’s offense in game one of the Summer League. At UCLA, he was a focal point on both sides of the ball as an elite scorer and scrappy defender.

The Summer League is a lot different than his PAC-12 college career. Here, defense is important and players are looking to get minutes in the league, not keep a scholarship. These are not student-athletes, but trained professionals.

I would expect some growing pains. The NBA three-point line might take some adjustment, but as long as he looks confident in his shot I won’t worry if they don’t fall. If he can keep up on defense, everything will work out even if he gets caught chasing or gets blown by a time or two.

What matters is how he looks with the ball in his hands. If he is looking to get rid of it as soon as he has it, that’s a problem. If he takes time to size up his defender, put the ball on the floor, then shoot or find the open man, he should be ready for the next step. Don’t pay too much attention to his first stat line, instead make sure he is cool, calm, and collected.

In his rookie year, he will be the third shooting guard in the rotation behind Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson. If he isn’t quite league-ready, there’s no reason to rush him. Unlike bigs, who Utah needs now, backcourt players can take their time to learn and develop into better versions of themselves. After game one against OKC, it would be easy to make a snap judgment, and hopefully, he’ll get the minutes so we as fans can overreact.