Johnny Juzang needs more minutes to see if he's an option long-term

It's time to give Johnny Juzang all the time he deserves to see if he's worth being a long-term fit.
Atlanta Hawks v Utah Jazz
Atlanta Hawks v Utah Jazz / Alex Goodlett/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

The Utah Jazz may just have a player in the making with 23-year-old Johnny Juzang. The former UCLA standout has been with the Jazz for the last few seasons and despite not really performing much on the main roster since joining the franchise, there remains hope for him. The potential seems to be there that Juzang could become a three-and-D guard for the club, and his recent run of games may seem to suggest that's the case.

Since getting the call for more playing time in March, Juzang is averaging 18.8 minutes per game and he's making the most of that time.

He's averaging 8.2 points per while putting up an impressive set of shooting splits of 50% from the floor and 43% from three.

Granted, he's only played in five games so far, but this isn't too far from his G-Leauge stats. He shot just about 43% from the floor over the last two seasons, while hitting 34% from three over the same time frame. He's not someone who has the most support from the front office it seems, but his recent outing against the Atlanta Hawks got some fans talking.

He went 7-11 from the floor, 5-8 from three, and dropped 19 points on a night that the Jazz were lacking top-scorer Lauri Markkanen. Juzang is someone who can ball, and if given some actual minutes, may in fact be able to prove one way or another if he should be sticking around long-term.

The club has to make a decision on a number of veterans and with the roster going to include seven guys with two years or less experience on the roster come this time next season, barring trades, a young "vet" like Juzang wouldn't hurt. Plus, if he can produce consistently, especially from three, then a guy like Jordan Clarkson becomes all the more expendable.

manual