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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 16: Johnny Juzang #33 of the Utah Jazz reacts during warm up before the game against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome on December 16, 2024 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Former Utah Jazz wing Johnny Juzang has left the NBA – at least, for now – and will continue his career in Turkey next season.
Juzang has signed with EuroLeague side Fenerbahce, whose name gets almost invariably attached to all fringe NBA players at some point, yet who have already officially announced this deal. It gives the 25-year-old swingman an opportunity to further establish himself overseas following four NBA seasons, three of which came with the Jazz – including by far his best one as a professional to date.
Johnny Juzang Fenerbahçe’de! 💛💙
Fenerbahçe Erkek Basketbol Takımımız, Amerikalı forvet Johnny Juzang (2.01cm – 2001) ile 1 yıllık anlaşmaya varmıştır.
Amerika Kolej Ligi’nde Kentucky (2019-20) ve UCLA (2020-22) formaları giyen Johnny Juzang, 2021 yılında UCLA formasıyla
Juzang entered the NBA in 2022 after an impressive college career, spending one season at Kentucky before transferring to UCLA for two more. He became one of college basketball’s better-known scorers during his two years with the Bruins, earning First Team All-Pac-12 honours in 2022 after averaging 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Despite being a third-team All-American in his third and final college season, and being the leading scorer on a high profile fourth-seed UCLA team, Juzang went undrafted. Nevertheless, the relentless production earned him a two-way contract with the Jazz, where he spent the next three seasons moving between Utah and their affiliate Salt Lake City Stars in the G League. His NBA opportunities gradually increased over that span, and after finally signing a standard NBA contract (worth up to $12 million albeit with hefty unguaranteed portions) ahead of the 2024-25 season, he appeared in 64 games, averaging 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game, shooting 42.9% from the field, 37.6% from three-point range and 84.9% from the free throw line.
That is replacement-level production, in fairness, but only a few hundred humans in the world can post replacement-level NBA numbers, and Juzang looked to have played his way into establishing himself as one of that club. Nevertheless, Utah waived Juzang last summer amid wider salary cap machinations, after which he caught on with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He ultimately spent much of the season on another two-way contract before being released in February, after having a much quieter season than the one before. In 21 appearances with Minnesota, he averaged 2.0 points in 4.2 minutes per game, bringing his NBA career totals – to date, at least -to averages of 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds across four seasons and 123 games.
Juzang did not have to wait long for another opportunity. He joined Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg for the remainder of last season, and made an immediate impact, averaging 13.2 points per game while shooting very efficiently (45.6%) from the three-point line in 17 VTB United League games, showing that the shooting touch which made him so effective at UCLA remains very much intact. Now, Juzang heads to Turkey and to the EuroLeague, the best club basketball competition outside of the NBA.
Standing 6’7, Juzang has always been at his best as a floor-spacing wing that is also capable of scoring in bunches when his jumper is falling. Rather than shooting off the dribble, the bulk of his work comes off the catch, which should work well in the set-heavy, slower pace of the European game, as demonstrated by his audition in the VTB United League. While Juzang was never able to carve out a permanent rotation role in the NBA, he showed enough over four seasons to demonstrate that he can contribute at a high professional level, with a physical profile that works anywhere, even if he never quite got to the “D” part of the three-and-D profile.
Turkey, the EuroLeague as a whole, and Fenerbahce in particular, have long provided former NBA players with an opportunity to rebuild momentum and get back to the big dance. And despite still being only 25 years old, Juzang arrives with plenty of experience. If he can carry over the shooting form he displayed in Russia during the second half of last season, and at his apex with the Jazz, Fenerbahce may have landed one of the more impactful perimeter additions of the summer – and Juzang might have opened the door to a ten-year revenue stream.
Mark Deeks I am continuously intrigued by the esoterica and minutiae of all the aspects of building a basketball team. I want to understand how to build the best basketball teams possible. No, I don’t know why, either. More about Mark Deeks
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