The Utah Jazz are surely hitting the reset button soon. Jordan Clarkson and Walker Kessler's squad is now filled with youth and may not be ready to compete in the immediate future. Finding diamonds in the rough is hard for a team but their NBA Summer League squad may have just had a great undrafted prospect by the name of Johnny Juzang. the 6-foot-7 player can fill in a forward and guard role that most cannot. Will the former UCLA basketball standout be given a shot at a permanent roster spot?
Johnny Juzang was a great scoring guard for the Bruins back in college. He helped them terrorize the SEC with lights-out shooting and impeccable defense. A big drawback in his skill set was the lack of athleticism despite being a great shooter. Although, the Jazz probably would not need more than that in the coming years. His defensive game has the potential to enhance schematics given that he can guard most positions except centers. All of these come through his effectiveness in half-court defensive sets. Although, he had glimpses of being able to guard well during fastbreaks. Let's break down why Utah should give him a contract upgrade!
Johnny Juzang's NBA Summer League stint
The former UCLA star had already experienced playing in an NBA setting before his 2023-24 Summer League stint. He played 18 games for the Jazz and thrived off spotting up and creating his own shots. Juzang just signed a two-way contract with Utah but his value may be more than that. A lot of development and maturity in shotmaking proves why he may be worth more than just being called up when the team is short-staffed. Las Vegas was a good example of his consistency and growth as a player.
Johnny Juzang has been with the Jazz summer squad twice in his career already. He got more minutes in the 2023 iteration of the tournament but did not perform well. Experiences with shot mechanic coaches and other professionals helped him with his efficiency on the court. His statistics became significantly better in this year's NBA Summer League despite a smaller amount of playing time. Juzang notched 17.75 points per game on four outings.
His efficiency was also phenomenal as he knocked down 53.2% of the shots he took from the three levels of scoring. Three-pointers were also a breeze for him. He was rewarded with a 52.2% three-point field goal percentage. Heating up comes easily for the 22-year-old. He only needed 11.75 attempts to contribute well to their offense and made a high percentage of his shots.
The roadblock to a Jazz roster spot
The roster does not seem to have a problem integrating him full-time. He has already had enough time to gel with the squad such that they have team chemistry. The only knock on his game would be his ability to stay in front of a defender. Johnny Juzang is not the most agile defender and would need a lot of help defense from other guys. A huge expectation for most players of his stature would be to be switchable. However, he has shown the ability to guard guys on the perimeter. The only thing he needs to work on is guarding post-up threats or not getting blown by really quick guards.
Will he get a contract upgrade before the season starts?
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