UCLA Basketball: Impact of Johnny Juzang’s waiver approval
Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang has already received a waiver to play right away in 2020-21 for UCLA basketball. How can he make his impact on the Bruins?
UCLA basketball experienced a bit of a roller-coaster season in Year 1 under head coach Mick Cronin. The Bruins started the campaign rather shakily with an 8-9 (1-3 P12) record through the first couple of months. Then, though, they rattled off victories in 11 of their next 13 games and were knocking on the door of a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament prior to its cancelation.
UCLA clearly garnered plenty of momentum down the stretch and is looking to parlay that into a big 2020-21 campaign.
While losing five-star commit Daishen Nix to the G League was certainly a tough blow for the program this offseason, the Bruins did receive a quick response from the NCAA on an important decision. It was announced on May 27th that Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang received his waiver to play right away next season for the Bruins.
Considering the current state of the pandemic, it made sense for Juzang to move closer to home (Los Angeles) and that was likely the main reason for his waiver approval.
Juzang was originally a member of the 2020 recruiting class but reclassified last offseason to immediately take the court for Kentucky. He appeared in 28 contests as a freshman, starting two, while posting 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game. He fell out of the main rotation for the Wildcats, but he still has a bright future and a high ceiling to contribute in his collegiate career. Juzang was ranked as the No. 33 in the 2019 class out of high school and is a versatile performer.
Most notably, he brings an excellent 6-foot-6 frame to the wing and is known as a 3-point threat. While he didn’t necessarily light it up from distance in Lexington, that label as a perimeter shooter will follow him to Westwood, where he can hopefully bury his fair share of trifectas. Considering UCLA ranked near the bottom of the nation last season at just 32.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc, Juzang could fill a very important role in the fall.
He will likely join returners Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jules Bernard (among others) on UCLA’s wing and should see solid minutes from the opening tip. Incoming Top 150 freshman Jaylen Clark will also be apart of this group on the wing.
With his size and athleticism, Juzang also has the potential to be a standout defender that can cover multiple positions. This bodes well for his playing time under Coach Cronin over his final three full years of eligibility. Not only should he be a contributor next season but he can be a big part of the future under this coaching staff.
Where does UCLA stand nationally now?
The addition of Juzang raises UCLA’s ceiling a bit of this coming season but expectations were already quite high for the historic program. Even with Nix’s decision, the Bruins have plenty of talent and impressed many with their strong finish to last season. They are now quite loaded with a likely returning group of Tyger Campbell, Chris Smith, Jalen Hill, and the aforementioned other wings (among others). Campbell, perhaps most notably, looks poised to emerge as a star.
While it’s obviously still way-too-early to speculate about national rankings, it does feel as though UCLA is a lock to be included in the preseason Top 25. They are very talented and the majority of the group has now already had a chance to learn Coach Cronin’s system. The Bruins showed tremendous growth in Year 1 of his leadership and that should carry over into 2020-21.
The Pac-12 seems poised to feature a few very solid teams next season, and UCLA should be right near the top of the standings. There are a lot of pieces on the roster capable of making big jumps and that internal development will be crucial for the Bruins to take a leap. Additionally, Juzang could be the missing piece that they needed considering the 3-point shooting that he can hopefully bring to a team that otherwise lacks many perimeter threats.
It might also be worth mentioning that Juzang is among the first players to receive a waiver to play right away next year this offseason. His circumstances centered around leaving his prior school to move closer to home amidst a current pandemic. The fact that he received his waiver so quickly bodes well for other players with similar situations – there are many of these.
Way-too-early Pac-12 rankings. dark. Next
On the whole, this is great news for UCLA basketball. The Bruins were already facing relatively high expectations heading into this coming campaign and they now have another weapon (and a local one) that can take the court right away and make an impact on the wing. It wouldn’t be a major shock to see him join the starting lineup early in the year.