Can Juzang Play Both Ways?
Assuming he makes a speedy recovery from his car wreck, Juzang will be the centerpiece of Utah’s offense in game one of the Summer League. At UCLA, he was a focal point on both sides of the ball as an elite scorer and scrappy defender.
The Summer League is a lot different than his PAC-12 college career. Here, defense is important and players are looking to get minutes in the league, not keep a scholarship. These are not student-athletes, but trained professionals.
I would expect some growing pains. The NBA three-point line might take some adjustment, but as long as he looks confident in his shot I won’t worry if they don’t fall. If he can keep up on defense, everything will work out even if he gets caught chasing or gets blown by a time or two.
What matters is how he looks with the ball in his hands. If he is looking to get rid of it as soon as he has it, that’s a problem. If he takes time to size up his defender, put the ball on the floor, then shoot or find the open man, he should be ready for the next step. Don’t pay too much attention to his first stat line, instead make sure he is cool, calm, and collected.
In his rookie year, he will be the third shooting guard in the rotation behind Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson. If he isn’t quite league-ready, there’s no reason to rush him. Unlike bigs, who Utah needs now, backcourt players can take their time to learn and develop into better versions of themselves. After game one against OKC, it would be easy to make a snap judgment, and hopefully, he’ll get the minutes so we as fans can overreact.
Utah Jazz</a> play their first Summer League game against the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz are not a Summer League team to watch for most people, considering they added no talent via the NBA Draft and don’t exactly have highly touted players on their roster, but this is the first basketball Utah has played in quite some time, so fans should be excited.</p>
<p>A large part of watching the Summer League is overreacting to how players do. We all understand that if a player scored 25 points in the Summer League they are not guaranteed to be an NBA starter, but it’s fun to have that mentality. It’s harmless, after all.</p>
<p>Rookie Johnny Juzang is probably the player <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/jazz-announce-2022-summer-league-roster">on the roster</a> with the most potential, although there is a lot of young talent on the team. That said, expect Juzang to take things slow after being involved in a car accident on July third.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Jazz say Johnny Juzang is not practicing with Utah's summer league team today as a precautionary measure after a car accident. Juzang will soon be formally signed by the Jazz on a two-way contract after the former UCLA star went undrafted.</p>
<p>— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1543638975382011909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>With Utah getting their first taste of competitive play since April, fans should be on the lookout for potential professional talent. Keeping in mind what exactly Utah is looking for, there are three things for fans to keep an eye on in the matchup against the Thunder.</p>
<h3>Has Utah Found the Center of the Future?</h3>
<p>After moving star center <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Rudy Gobert</a>, the Jazz are left with a large hole in the starting five. The team <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.boston.com/sports/nba/2022/07/02/tacko-fall-utah-jazz-summer-league-roster-danny-ainge/">added Tacko Fall</a> for Summer League play, and Kofi Cockburn was a high upside, low risk signing.</p>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kesslwa01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Walker Kessler</a> did not make the Summer League roster, but I am also very high on him. Without him competing with Cockburn and Fall, it would be hard to say who of the three has the biggest chance to make the real roster.</p>
<p>My money is on Kessler, but if either of the Summer League players have a big showing then they could put their name in Will Hardy’s hat. One man is standing in both of their ways: <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/holmgch01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Chet Holmgren</a>.</p>
<p>The second overall pick was one of the best defenders in the country, taking home the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year trophy. While not a conventional big, he will be matched up against Fall and Cockburn on both sides of the ball at different points.</p>
<p>Holmgren is an elite defender with a wingspan that prevents the seven-foot-six Fall from just using his insane height to get easy buckets. He can guard both inside and outside of the paint, so Cockburn’s mobility will be tested. It doesn’t end there. Holmgren will be a nightmare for the two bigs on the offensive side of the ball as well.</p>
<p>Cockburn can bully Holmgren in the paint with his strength, and Fall makes getting to the rim amazingly hard. However, Holmgren will still challenge them. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in lateral movement, so Cockburn might struggle to keep up. Fall is also rather slow, so Holmgren can just dribble around them if needed. If Utah is looking for a potential future center, this is an incredible first test for their options.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> What to look for from Johnny Juzang </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h3>Can Juzang Play Both Ways?</h3>
<p>Assuming he makes a speedy recovery from his car wreck, Juzang will be the centerpiece of Utah’s offense in game one of the Summer League. At UCLA, he was a focal point on both sides of the ball as an elite scorer and scrappy defender.</p>
<p>The Summer League is a lot different than his PAC-12 college career. Here, defense is important and players are looking to get minutes in the league, not keep a scholarship. These are not student-athletes, but trained professionals.</p>
<p>I would expect some growing pains. The NBA three-point line might take some adjustment, but as long as he looks confident in his shot I won’t worry if they don’t fall. If he can keep up on defense, everything will work out even if he gets caught chasing or gets blown by a time or two.</p>
<p>What matters is how he looks with the ball in his hands. If he is looking to get rid of it as soon as he has it, that’s a problem. If he takes time to size up his defender, put the ball on the floor, then shoot or find the open man, he should be ready for the next step. Don’t pay too much attention to his first stat line, instead make sure he is cool, calm, and collected.</p>
<p>In his rookie year, he will be the third shooting guard in the rotation behind <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mitchdo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Donovan Mitchell</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/clarkjo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jordan Clarkson</a>. If he isn’t quite league-ready, there’s no reason to rush him. Unlike bigs, who Utah needs now, backcourt players can take their time to learn and develop into better versions of themselves. After game one against OKC, it would be easy to make a snap judgment, and hopefully, he’ll get the minutes so we as fans can overreact.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Wild picks for future stars </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h3>Utah Might Have a Dark Horse or Two</h3>
<p>Juzang, Fall, and Cockburn are all household names. They either made a name for themselves in college or as fan favorites. The rest of the roster might not be familiar to casual fans. In my humble opinion, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sneedxa01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Xavier Sneed</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/05/three-things-watch-first-summer-league-game/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleja02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jared Butler</a> are the most likely to break out this summer, and a strong showing against the Thunder would be a good first step.</p>
<p>Both have some NBA experience. Sneed has appeared in nine games for two teams and Butler played 42 games for Utah last season. Neither have enough experience to make definitive statements about their careers thus far. Sneed only played 39 minutes total and barely got to shoot, and Butler, despite a stellar career at Baylor, was buried on the roster behind better guards.</p>
<p>If Butler can show the organization that he is the elite shooter he was in college, I would expect this summer to be a real launching pad for his NBA career. He is not a bad defender by any means, so stepping up his shooting this summer could really unlock his game and take him to the next level.</p>
<p>Xavier Sneed is even more of a dark horse pick because of his limited experience. After bouncing around the league as a rookie, Utah offered him a two-way contract. While he never really got an opportunity with the Jazz, he was really good on the Salt Lake Stars.</p>
<p>Sneed averaged 15 points a game in the G-League, as well as just under three assists and six rebounds, which are all very good for his size and position. He is an adequate defender at that level, so if he steps it up in the first game there’s no reason to think he can’t fill the gap left by Royce O’Neale.</p>
<p>One game is not enough to make any definitive statements, but it could indicate if the Jazz are in good hands moving forwards. With questions still lingering about the direction and state of the team, the first game of the summer may offer some clues.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">