Johnny Juzang sidelined following car accident; expected to sign with Jazz

Former Kentucky Wildcat turned All-American at UCLA, Johnny Juzang, was injured in a car accident on Saturday and will not practice on Sunday as a precautionary measure, the Utah Jazz announced.

Juzang, who went unselected in June’s 2022 NBA Draft, was picked up by the Jazz as a free agent shortly after his name went uncalled. According to Marc Stein, Juzang and Utah will soon agree to a two-way contract that will bring the 6-foot-7 wing on board the franchise for the 2022-23 season. A California native, he spent his freshman season of college at Kentucky before transferring to UCLA for two years.

By signing a two-way contract with Utah, Juzang will be able to play for both the Jazz and the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. He’ll bounce between the two programs as the front office deems appropriate. If he performs well in the G League over a stretch, there’s a good chance he’s called up to play with the big boys in the NBA. If not, he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to develop at the G League level.

Juzang initially committed to Kentucky out of Hardvard-Westlake School (CA). He was a consensus top 40 recruit but never found a steady role while in Lexington as he played behind the likes of Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey. Juzang averaged 2.9 points in 12.3 minutes per outing for the ‘Cats across 28 appearances, which included a pair of starts. He would later transfer to UCLA and became an immediate star out west.

During his two seasons with the Bruins, Juzang averaged 15.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor, 35.6 percent from distance on 4.9 attempts, and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line. He started 55 of the 57 games he played for UCLA, earning Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors as a sophomore and First-Team honors as a junior. Juzang put his name in the 2022 NBA Draft following the 2021-22 season.