Jazz's Johnny Juzang Involved in Car Crash; Held Out of Practice as Precaution

Johnny Juzang is not practicing with the Utah Jazz's Summer League team Sunday as a precautionary measure after he was involved in a car crash Saturday, the team announced.

It's unclear if Juzang suffered any injuries.

The former UCLA guard worked out for the Jazz in May, and team officials thought he was "one of the best players they brought in during workout season," The Athletic's Tony Jones reported.

Juzang signed a two-way contract with the Jazz last week after not being selected in the 2022 NBA draft. He told TMZ Sports he was "so excited about being with Utah" after agreeing to the deal.

"Jazz are such a great organization, so I'm really excited. ... Great opportunity," Juzang said.

On a two-way contract, Juzang can only play in 50 of Utah's 82 regular-season games and is not eligible to play in the postseason. He'll likely suit up for the team's G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, in 2022-23.

It appears Juzang is more than OK with that.

"At the end of the day, that's all you need," he told TMZ Sports. "Just get your foot in the door, you know what I'm saying? But I always feel like I got something to prove."

Juzang began his college career at Kentucky before transferring to UCLA for the 2020-21 campaign. He had a strong first season with the Bruins, averaging 16.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27 games while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from deep. He helped lead UCLA to the Final Four as an 11th seed, boosting his scoring to 22.8 points per contest in the NCAA tournament.

The 21-year-old followed up with a solid 2021-22 season, averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30 games, shooting 43.2 percent overall and 36.0 percent from deep. UCLA reached the Sweet 16 where it lost to eventual national runner-up North Carolina.

If Juzang cracks Utah's NBA roster, he'll play with a group that includes Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Patrick Beverley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Walker Kessler and Rudy Gay.

After trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Jazz plan to "retool" around Mitchell, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Juzang could prove to be a nice piece.

The Jazz open their Salt Lake City Summer League schedule Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.