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SALT LAKE CITY — Johnny Juzang has earned a full-time spot with the Utah Jazz.
Juzang agreed to a four-year, $12 million deal to return to the Jazz, according to multiple reports, making Juzang the latest undrafted success story in the NBA.
The former UCLA guard signed two consecutive two-way contracts with the Jazz after not being selected in the 2022 draft. Since then, he spent most of his time in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars where he averaged over 20 points per game.
At the end of the last season, though, he took full advantage of a chance with the Jazz.
He played in 17 of Utah's final 21 games and averaged 8.5 points while shooting 48% from the field and 43% from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts per game.
"Johnny's put in a lot of hard work the last two years," Jazz coach Will Hardy said in April. "Coming out of UCLA, Johnny was a scorer — he did a little bit of everything. We've tried to help Johnny transition into a little bit more of a shooter mindset."
He had a career-high 27 points and made seven 3-pointers against the Golden State Warriors on April 7. That type of shooting helped him find a more permanent spot in the NBA.
"I'm very proud of the work that Johnny has done," Hardy said in April. "He hasn't gotten a ton of credit the last two years because he hasn't gotten as much time with us as maybe he's wanted, but he's stayed ready. He's put the work in.
And on Friday, that work was rewarded.
