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Why the Lakers should draft hometown stud Johnny Juzang

By Jonny Camer

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 25: Johnny Juzang #3 of the UCLA Bruins and Leaky Black #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels watch Juzang's shot in the first half of the game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 25: Johnny Juzang #3 of the UCLA Bruins and Leaky Black #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels watch Juzang's shot in the first half of the game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers will look to bring some new talent with the NBA Draft approaching. The team, of course, has no picks this year due to the Anthony Davis trade. With limited draft capital and tradeable players, it will be tough for the team to trade into the first round.

It’s already been confirmed that the team is interested in trading for a second-rounder. The team will likely trade a future second or cash consideration for a second in this year’s draft. With all of that being said, the team could really benefit from bringing in UCLA Bruin Johnny Juzang. The team in fact just worked out Juzang, per multiple sources.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers should draft Johnny Juzang

Juzang first rose to college basketball fame after an incredible run in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Juzang was the main focal point of the Bruin offense, averaging 22.8 points in his six games in the tournament.

One of his most impressive games came against Michigan, where he dropped 28 points to upset the number one seed. This advanced the Bruins to their first Final four since 2008. The Bruins ended up losing to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Juzang did his best, dropping 29 points with a clutch basket with 3.3 seconds left.

Fans were excited to see Juzang take that next step this season after an immaculate tournament run. Unfortunately, after battling injuries and even COVID-19, Juzang didn’t take that big leap. Juzang still had a solid season averaging 15.6 PPG on 43% shooting.

The Lakers could really benefit from Juzang. He’s an electric scorer who can hurt you from anywhere on the court. Juzang also has great size and length at six-foot-six, allowing him to grab rebounds as well.

The hometown kid could come off the bench and be an instant success. Juzang thrives on creating space and has a smooth stroke. The Lakers have really lacked that piece off the bench that can create space and score the ball at ease.

The other great part about Juzang is that he isn’t projected to be a very high pick in the second round. Most mock drafts have him going mid to late second round. This will allow the team to draft Juzang without giving up that much.

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Juzang presents a great off-the-bench option for the Lakers that is very affordable. Though there are some concerns about his game, one thing is for sure the Lakers could really use his scoring.

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