Johnny Juzang became a centerpiece and pillar of a UCLA Final Four team. He helped the Bruins get back to the Sweet 16 this past season. Had they beaten North Carolina in the regional semifinal round, the Bruins — facing No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the Elite Eight — would have been a heavy favorite to return to the Final Four.
Juzang declared for the NBA draft and surely expected that his name would be called. Yes, a lot of college basketball analysts felt — and still feel — that Jaime Jaquez is a better player, but the idea that Juzang would go undrafted did not seem particularly likely.
On Thursday night, it happened.
Juzang could still find a home in the NBA, and his first chance to crack a professional roster will come in Salt Lake City. He signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz after the end of the 58-pick draft.
The Jazz have still not hired a coach to replace Quin Snyder, putting Juzang in limbo for a period of time. However, Utah has not parted with either Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert just yet, which means that if the Jazz are going to gut their roster in an attempt to start fresh, they haven’t begun that process. Are they waiting to hire the coach and then make those moves? Quite possibly. Juzang will wait along with the rest of us.
Meanwhile, Juzang is certainly wondering why he fell completely off the draft board and Isaiah Mobley landed at pick 49 with the Cavs.