UCLA's Juzang could be first Asian American NBA lottery pick

Updated Apr. 2, 2021 10:31 p.m. ET

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Johnny Juzang's impact at UCLA has been immediate since he transferred from Kentucky, giving the Bruins the scorer and dynamic player they had been missing in recent years.

The junior guard is playing his best at just the right time, leading the Bruins into the Final Four for the first time since 2008.

Juzang also has had a much broader impact, even if it has been unintentional.

Projected to be the second Asian American NBA first-round pick, possibly in the lottery, he has become an inspiration for younger players at a time when

“It’s not something that’s on the top of my mind or really think about. I’m just Johnny,” said Juzang, whose mother is Vietnamese. “I will get messages or hear stories about how I inspire people, regardless of their heritage. Sometimes there are people of Asian decent. But just being able to inspire people is something that’s touching and inspires me and something I don’t take lightly.”

Juzang's older brother Christian played at Harvard and led the

Christian was the top pick in the VBA draft, and the younger Juzang looks like he has an even brighter professional future. He has thrived on the court since transferring to Westwood. A former five-star recruit, the 6-foot-6 guard was a role player on a loaded Kentucky team, averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 assists in 28 games as a freshman.

Not long after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season, Juzang announced he was transferring and later picked UCLA to be closer to his family in Tarzana, California.

Juzang missed the first four games of the 2020-21 season with a foot injury, but he is a big reason the Bruins were able to overcome senior Chris Smith's season-ending knee injury in early January.

Juzang was the Bruins' leading scorer at 15.5 points per game while shooting 34% from the 3-point arc and seemed to get better as the season progressed. He scored at least 20 points three times in the NCAA Tournament, including 28 against Michigan to clinch a spot in the Final Four.

And he's done it on an ankle that's been bothering him for weeks.

“He’s more of a scorer than a shooter and I think that’s what he got labeled at Kentucky,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “I wanted him to get rid of that mindset. We really worked hard on his mid-range and him going to the basket. He’s grown immensely.”

Juzang's length and skill set have him projected as a possible NBA lottery pick. It will be history if he is.

Rex Walters, who's mother is Japanese, was a first-round NBA draft pick in 1993.

, who's Filipino American, made one of the biggest plays during Virginia's run to the 2019 championship and just completed his junior season.

Arizona State's Remy Martin had a stellar four-year career in the desert and

Rui Hachimura of Gonzaga was a lottery pick, but he is a native of Japan. Yao Ming never played college basketball, going straight from the Chinese national team to the NBA.

Juzang is a rarity as an Asian American in college basketball with clear NBA potential.

“I think it’ll be a really significant moment and I think the more that it can just be felt where that is normal, I think is what can make it even more significant,” Miami Heat coach

High draft pick or not, Juzang has been an inspiration for players, particularly young Asian Americans.

Juzang's success and UCLA's run into the Final Four has drawn positive reactions from Vietnam and all over the world.

“That’s always a good feeling to hear from people, but I wouldn’t say it’s on the forefront of my mind,” he said.

Maybe not, but it's helping — at least a little.

___

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.

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