As the Minnesota Timberwolves fill out the back end of their roster, they still have a fair amount of talent available to sign.
The Wolves most recently signed Johnny Juzang, and he’s a perfect example. Juzang has been reported as a training camp signing and will be competing for one of the two final roster spots.
Juzang, 24, is entering his fourth NBA season. He is a 6’7” wing who is best known for his time at UCLA, where he spent two seasons alongside Jaylen Clark.
In 2021, Juzang helped lead an 11-seeded UCLA team from the First Four game to the Final Four. There, he delivered one of the most incredible recent performances in college basketball. Juzang averaged 22.8 points on 50.9/37.5/77.8 shooting splits across UCLA’s 6 NCAA Tournament games.
After going undrafted in 2022, Juzang spent the last three seasons with the Utah Jazz. He played in 102 games, averaging 7.9 points on 42.1/36.3/80.3 shooting splits. Juzang had a 54.1% effective field goal percentage and a 55.7% true shooting percentage.
Juzang’s perimeter scoring has translated well from his time at UCLA to the NBA. His percentages are not outstanding. Still, much of it is due to the sheer gravity he draws and the respect opposing defenses give him when he catches the ball. Juzang’s career three-point catch-and-shoot numbers prove that.
Johnny Juzang NBA Career 3P Shooting Profile
Catch & Shoot | 140 of 368 (38%)
Pull-Up | 22 of 76 (28.9%)
Above the Break | 94 of 260 (36.2%)
Corner | 71 of 184 (38.6%)
Juzang’s spot-up shooter archetype makes his development difficult to project. He will never garner more freedom as an offensive weapon unless he proves his efficiency and continues to expand his offensive skillset.
Opponents close out on Juzang hard because they respect his jumper. However, he also struggles to find much inside the arc off the dribble, a common challenge for 3-point specialists in the NBA.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Juzang ranked in the 13th percentile in rim shot frequency among NBA wings this past season, with just 12% of his total FGA coming at the rim. Juzang shot 67% at the rim, which was slightly above the league average for wings. However, he doesn’t get downhill enough or have the athletic tools to consistently get to the rim, even with his 6’7” frame, which ultimately hinders his scoring output.
Juzang’s optimism is rooted in his playing context with the Jazz over the past three seasons.
Utah has been a mess ever since it traded away franchise cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the 2022 offseason. Since the teardown, the Jazz haven’t developed their young core to replace Mitchell and Gobert. They have cycled through numerous players and have lacked clear direction. Utah has middled, going 37-45 in the 2022-23 season and 31-51 in the 2023-24 season, until they decided to focus on losing games and hoping for lottery luck, finishing 17-65 this past season.
Juzang was able to find playing time with Utah due to this turnover. Still, he has the potential to offer more intrigue in a tertiary role simply by being around more proven NBA talent.
In Juzang’s first two seasons, he only saw minutes in blowouts at the end of the season or when Utah was tanking. He spent most of the season with the Jazz’s G-League affiliate and was not considered one of Utah’s best young prospects.
Last year was Juzang’s most impactful season because he had extended offensive freedom. He was able to consistently play throughout the season, but the Jazz were not competitive. They won just 17 games and cycled through numerous players, playing 10 different players 1,000 minutes or more.
The Wolves are in win-now mode, but they can offer Juzang a comfortable role. They will not feature him as prominently as Utah. Still, if Juzang earns a final roster spot, he fits seamlessly off-ball into Minnesota’s offense.
Juzang won’t start the season with rotational minutes because Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and others are significantly more established in Chris Finch’s system. However, Juzang could bring a dynamic similar to Matt Ryan in his stint with Minnesota in 2022-23. Situational specialists can serve a meaningful role as innings eaters in the NBA regular season.
Chris Finch used Ryan sporadically when the Timberwolves were in shooting slumps, needed off-ball movement, or were riddled by injuries.
Three-point scoring specialists are a bit of an enigma. They offer one of the most coveted skills, but are ultimately stunted by their lack of tertiary skills. Players like Ryan and Juzang can be effective replacement stop-gaps, but winning teams would not want them to take on an increased role or play big minutes. To fill holes in the rotation, these specialists are easy fits.
Ultimately, Johnny Juzang will not drive winning for the Timberwolves. Still, the mix of Juzang’s age, experience, and definite offensive abilities would be impactful as the 14th or 15th man on the roster. Even if he must play a smaller role, the Wolves are a much more intriguing destination for Juzang’s skill set.