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Johnny Juzang

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Johnny Juzang
Juzang with UCLA in 2021
No. 33 – Utah Jazz
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-03-17) March 17, 2001 (age 23)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolHarvard-Westlake School
(Los Angeles, California)
College
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–presentUtah Jazz
2022–2024→Salt Lake City Stars
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jonathan Anh Juzang (/ˈdʒuːzæŋ/; born March 17, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He began his college basketball career playing one season with the Kentucky Wildcats before transferring and spending two seasons with the UCLA Bruins. A two-time all-conference selection in the Pac-12, Juzang earned third-team All-American honors as a junior in 2022. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-Tournament Team of the 2021 NCAA tournament, as the Bruins advanced to the Final Four.

Early life

[edit]

Juzang was born in Los Angeles.[1] His father, Maxie, is Creole, and his mother, Hanh, is Vietnamese.[2] After repeating the eighth grade,[3] Juzang played high school basketball for Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. In his freshman season, he averaged 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and two assists per game and was teammates with Cassius Stanley. Harvard-Westlake won the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 1A championship after Juzang recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the final.[4] As a sophomore, he averaged 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, leading his team to a 22–6 record.[1] In his junior season, Juzang averaged 23 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and was named the most valuable player of the Mission League.[5] He helped lead Harvard-Westlake to their first league title since 2011 after scoring 25 points in the championship game against rival Loyola.[6]

After the season, Juzang reclassified from the 2020 class to the 2019 class, allowing him to play collegiately in the following season.[7] He was a four-star recruit and one of the top small forwards in his class.[8][9] On May 10, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Kentucky over Virginia. He had also been interested in UCLA, but their coach, Steve Alford, was fired, and he did not have time to develop a relationship with their new coach, Mick Cronin, before choosing the Wildcats.[2][10]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Johnny Juzang
SF 		Los Angeles, CA Harvard-Westlake School (CA) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) May 10, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 34  247Sports: 30  ESPN: 29
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  • "2019 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.

College career

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Kentucky (2019–2020)

[edit]
Juzang with Kentucky in 2020

As a freshman at the University of Kentucky, Juzang played behind Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley and was mostly restricted to catch-and-shoot opportunities in limited playing time.[11][12] His defense was considered a weakness, and he did not shoot well enough to compel Wildcats coach John Calipari to play him more.[13] On February 8, 2020, Juzang scored a season-high 13 points with three three-pointers in a 77–64 win over Tennessee.[14] He averaged 2.9 points, shooting 37.7 percent from the field, in 12.4 minutes per game for the Wildcats.

UCLA (2020–2022)

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Sophomore season (2020–2021)

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After the season, Juzang announced that he was transferring from Kentucky.[15] He had been lonely without his family, and the COVID-19 pandemic drove his desire to return home.[10] Juzang decided to transfer to UCLA and play under Cronin,[10] and he was granted a waiver to play immediately instead of the usual requirement to sit out a season.[16][17]

Juzang missed the first four games of the 2020–21 season with a stress reaction in his right foot.[18][19] In his first game, he scored 10 points off the bench in a win over San Diego.[20] He moved into the starting lineup in the following game against Marquette.[21] On January 14, 2021, Juzang scored a then-career-high 17 points, leading the Bruins in scoring in a 91–61 blowout win over Washington State.[22] On January 24, against Stanford, he scored 27 in a 73–72 loss in overtime,[23] the Bruins' first conference defeat of the season. The game included a stretch where Juzang scored 21 straight points for the team, making eight consecutive shots to end the first half and begin the second.[24] Against Washington, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 64–61 win.[25] He was the first Bruin to score at least half of his team's points in a game since Reggie Miller 35 years earlier.[26] The team's leading scorer, Juzang was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection.[27]

In the 2021 NCAA tournament, Juzang joined Miller and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, known in college as Lew Alcindor, to become the third player in UCLA history to score at least 20 points in their first two NCAA tournament games.[28] He scored 28 points in a 51–49 win over No. 1 seed Michigan, as UCLA advanced to their first Final Four since 2008. Eighteen of his points came in the first half, which included a run where he scored 12 consecutive for the Bruins.[29] He became the first player to score at least half of his team's points in a regional finals win since Oscar Robertson in 1960.[30] He was named the most outstanding player of the tournament's East Region.[31] Juzang scored 29 points in the national semifinal against 1-seed Gonzaga, including a basket to tie the game with 3.3 seconds remaining in overtime, but the Bulldogs' Jalen Suggs made a 40-foot (12 m) buzzer beater to win 93–90 over the Bruins.[32] Juzang averaged 22.8 points in six games in the tournament,[33] and was named to the 2021 All-Tournament Team.[34] He scored 137 total points, the second most by a UCLA player in NCAA tournament history behind Gail Goodrich's 140 points in 1965.[35] He scored 23 or more points four times in the tournament for a total of eight games with at least 20 during the season.[33][36]

Junior season (2021–2022)

[edit]
Juzang with UCLA in 2021

During the offseason, Juzang declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[37] After making it into the first round of some mock drafts but also struggling in a few draft combine games, he decided to return to UCLA and contend for a national championship in 2021–22.[38] Hoping to boost his draft stock, Juzang instead fought injuries,[39] missing one game due to a sore hip from a scooter accident and two others with a sprained right ankle.[40][41] He was also sidelined for two games after testing positive for COVID-19,[42] and failed to significantly improve on defense during the season.[39] Though he was the focus of opponents' defensive game plans, Juzang largely duplicated his statistics from a year before and remained as UCLA's leading scorer,[33] helping lead the team to a No. 4 seed in the 2022 NCAA tournament.[43] He was named a third-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches,[44] and was voted to the All-Pac-12 first team.[45] He was also listed on the final national ballot for the John R. Wooden Award,[46] and was a finalist for the Jerry West Award, given to the top shooting guard in the nation.[47] After failing to reach double figures in scoring in four out of six games,[48] Juzang had his best game since his ankle injury with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting along with eight rebounds in a 72–56 win over Saint Mary's in the second round of the NCAA tournament.[49] He scored 14 again in the Bruins' season-ending 73–66 loss to North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen, but needed 13 shots and was only 2-of-8 shooting in the second half.[50] After the season, he left UCLA to enter the NBA draft.[51]

Professional career

[edit]

Utah Jazz (2022–present)

[edit]

Juzang went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft.[52] He played for the Utah Jazz in the 2022 NBA Summer League, although his debut was delayed after he suffered a concussion in a car crash days after he arrived in Utah.[53] After the summer league, he signed a two-way contract with the Jazz.[54] During the season, he missed over a month with a serious wrist sprain.[55] He made his NBA debut on February 28, 2023 in a 102–94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, scoring three points.

On July 19, 2023, Juzang signed another two-way contract with the Jazz.[56] In a March 15, 2024 game against the Atlanta Hawks, Juzang scored a then-career-high 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting in 25 minutes off of the bench.[57] Juzang scored a new career high of 27 points against the Golden State Warriors in a regular season game on April 7, 2024.[58] On August 13, he signed a four-year contract with the Jazz.[59]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Utah 18 0 12.9 .337 .238 .500 2.2 .4 .2 .2 4.8
2023–24 Utah 20 5 18.6 .464 .416 .714 1.8 1.2 .2 .1 7.2
Career 38 5 15.9 .402 .336 .667 2.0 .8 .2 .1 6.1

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Kentucky 28 2 12.3 .377 .326 .833 1.9 .3 .2 .1 2.9
2020–21 UCLA 27 26 32.3 .441 .353 .877 4.1 1.6 .8 .3 16.0
2021–22 UCLA 30 29 31.8 .432 .360 .835 4.7 1.8 .7 .1 15.6
Career 85 57 25.5 .431 .352 .853 3.6 1.2 .6 .2 11.6

Source:[60]

Personal life

[edit]

Juzang's older brother, Christian, played college basketball as a point guard for Harvard,[61] and played in the Vietnam Basketball Association with the Saigon Heat.[62] He has a younger sister, Lauren.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Johnny Juzang". USA Basketball. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Tucker, Kyle (June 18, 2019). "'Go get it': Johnny Juzang comes to Kentucky ready to work, prove his value". The Athletic. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (April 24, 2019). "Johnny Juzang announces he will reclassify to play college basketball this winter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Barnes, Evan (August 28, 2017). "Harvard-Westlake boys basketball rides youth to Division 1A championship". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Fattal, Tarek (March 27, 2019). "Daily News 2019 All-Area boys basketball selections, awards". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  6. ^ Weese, Lukas (April 3, 2021). "Johnny Juzang's leadership and scoring have propelled UCLA's Final Four run". Andscape. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Fattal, Tarek (April 24, 2019). "4-Star Johnny Juzang Commitment Gives Kentucky 2019's No. 1 Recruiting Class". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  8. ^ Daniels, Tim (May 10, 2019). "Harvard-Westlake's Johnny Juzang announces he will reclassify and attend college this fall". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Hale, Jon (May 10, 2019). "What Johnny Juzang's commitment means for Kentucky basketball recruiting". Courier Journal. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Grosbard, Adam (April 2, 2021). "UCLA's Johnny Juzang says Final Four is 'so meaningful' with his hometown team". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  11. ^ Hale, Jon. "Could Johnny Juzang's NCAA Tournament affect Kentucky basketball transfer decisions?". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  12. ^ Tucker, Kyle (March 28, 2020). "Johnny Juzang transfer comes as a surprise to Cats, Calipari". The Athletic. Retrieved April 3, 2021. Kentucky started three guards this season — Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley, all of whom were five-star recruits — which meant playing time was scarce and Juzang's role was mostly restricted to catch-and-shoot opportunities in sporadic minutes.
  13. ^ Hale, Jon (March 26, 2021). "How NCAA Tournament star Johnny Juzang ended up at UCLA after playing for Kentucky". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Tipton, Jerry (February 8, 2020). "'Way to play, kid!' Calipari's glad to see Juzang step up for Kentucky". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  15. ^ Cobb, David (March 27, 2020). "Kentucky's Johnny Juzang entering NCAA transfer portal after freshman season". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  16. ^ Cobb, David (April 9, 2020). "Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang commits to UCLA and will pursue a waiver to play immediate eligibility". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "NCAA makes Johnny Juzang eligible at UCLA for next season". NBC Sports. Associated Press. May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  18. ^ Tipton, Jerry (December 17, 2020). "Former Wildcat Johnny Juzang embraces new look, new uniform". Kentucky.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  19. ^ Fattal, Tarek (November 26, 2020). "Short-handed UCLA loses to San Diego State in season opener". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  20. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (December 9, 2020). "Johnny Juzang quickly adds some zing to offense in UCLA's win over San Diego". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "UCLA holds off Marquette 69-60 to win 5th in a row". ESPN.com. AP. December 12, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "UCLA rolls to 91–61 win over WSU, goes to 6-0 in Pac-12". ESPN.com. AP. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  23. ^ "Da Silva's buzzer-beat [sic] lifts Stanford over No. 24 UCLA". ESPN.com. AP. January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  24. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 23, 2021). "UCLA falls to Stanford on buzzer-beating layup in overtime for first Pac-12 loss". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  25. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 13, 2021). "Johnny Juzang's career-best 32 points lead UCLA to win at Washington". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  26. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 17, 2021). "His work never done, UCLA's Johnny Juzang hunts success, not shots". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  27. ^ Fattal, Tarek (March 9, 2021). "UCLA PG Tyger Campbell earns Pac-12 first-team honors". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  28. ^ Woods, David (March 21, 2021). "UCLA improves Pac-12 to 5-0 in NCAA Tournament with win over BYU". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  29. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 30, 2021). "UCLA defeats No. 1 Michigan to go from First Four to Final Four". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  30. ^ Skretta, Dave (March 31, 2021). "Juzang sends No. 11 seed UCLA past Michigan to Final Four". AP. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  31. ^ Pilgrim, Jack (April 3, 2021). "WATCH: Johnny Juzang's brother flies in from Vietnam to surprise him at the Final Four". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  32. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (April 4, 2021). "The other side of history: UCLA heartbroken as last-second shot buries unlikely run". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  33. ^ a b c Bolch, Ben (March 22, 2022). "Johnny Juzang confident he can still be the March Madness leader UCLA needs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  34. ^ Potter, Andrew Joe (April 6, 2021). "Baylor's Butler named tourney's Most Outstanding Player". The Score. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  35. ^ Pilgrim, Jack (April 4, 2021). "WATCH: Gonzaga beats UCLA at the buzzer to advance to the National Championship". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  36. ^ Hill, Glynn A. (April 3, 2021). "Juzang reaches 20 points again, Campbell gives UCLA late lead". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  37. ^ Bolch, Ben (April 20, 2021). "UCLA's Johnny Juzang declares for NBA draft while preserving option to return". Los Angeles Times.
  38. ^ Bolch, Ben (July 7, 2021). "Johnny Juzang announces that he's coming back to UCLA in wake of NCAA tournament breakthrough". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  39. ^ a b Plaschke, Bill (March 6, 2022). "March Madness is nearly here, and UCLA is ready to go dancing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  40. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 27, 2022). "Mick Cronin freezes time for his players during UCLA's busiest stretch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  41. ^ "No. 17 UCLA beats No. 16 USC 75-68, finishes 2nd in Pac-12". ESPN.com. AP. March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  42. ^ "No. 7 Arizona avenges loss with 76-66 win over No. 3 UCLA". The Associated Press. February 4, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  43. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 16, 2022). "Inside a UCLA season on the brink that prepared the Bruins for March Madness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  44. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (March 16, 2022). "NABC names Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin second-team all-American". Tucson.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  45. ^ Kartje, Ryan (March 8, 2022). "UCLA's Johnny Juzang, USC's Isaiah Mobley among All-Pac-12 picks for Bruins, Trojans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  46. ^ "Gonzaga, Auburn place two each on final men's Wooden Award ballot; Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe considered front-runner". ESPN.com. March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  47. ^ "No. 16 USC and No. 17 UCLA end season with rivalry game". USA Today. AP. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  48. ^ "UCLA avoids upset with late surge, holds off Akron 57-53". USA Today. AP. March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  49. ^ Medcalf, Myron (March 21, 2022). "March Madness: Reseeding the 2022 NCAA men's basketball Sweet 16". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  50. ^ Brown, C.L. (March 26, 2022). "UNC beats UCLA to advance. Tar Heels face Saint Peter's Sunday for spot in Final Four". The Herald Sun. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  51. ^ Bolch, Ben (April 20, 2022). "What does Johnny Juzang's exit mean for UCLA? Not as much as it would have last year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  52. ^ Todd, Sarah (June 24, 2022). "Utah Jazz sign 3 players to free-agent deals after NBA draft". Deseret News. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  53. ^ Larsen, Andy (July 10, 2022). "The Triple Team: Leandro Bolmaro and Johnny Juzang make their Jazz debuts in summer league". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  54. ^ Todd, Sarah (July 18, 2022). "Johnny Juzang has a chance to be the Utah Jazz's next developmental success story". Deseret News. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  55. ^ Todd, Sarah (February 25, 2023). "Jazz Mailbag: Where would the Jazz be this year with the same roster that ended last season?". Deseret News. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  56. ^ Rincon, Jeremy (July 19, 2023). "Utah Jazz Re-Sign Johnny Juzang to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  57. ^ "Jazz's Johnny Juzang: Career-best scoring night". CBSSports.com. March 16, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  58. ^ "Jazz's Johnny Juzang: Explodes for 27 points from bench". CBSSports.com. April 8, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  59. ^ Maher, Rory (August 13, 2024). "Jazz Re-Sign Johnny Juzang To Four-Year Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  60. ^ "Johnny Juzang College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  61. ^ Tipton, Jerry (September 27, 2019). "Playing against Harvard tops Kentucky basketball freshman's wish list". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  62. ^ "Unique season up ahead for VBA, the rising basketball league in Vietnam". FIBA.basketball. October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
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