The Minnesota Timberwolves lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker this offseason.
And now in the preseason, they may have found his replacement in an unexpected place.
Johnny Juzang is quickly making the case for a spot on the Wolves' roster. He's in training camp on a non-guaranteed contract, but he's hooping right now.
In Minnesota's preseason game Tuesday night, Juzang scoed 20 points in just 14 minutes.
The 24-year old was once a third-team All-American, but he hasn't yet found his permanent NBA home.
Last season, Juzang played for the Utah Jazz, where he put up 8.9 points per game.
Over the last two seasons, Juzang has made more than 38% of his 3-point shots.
"It's felt like for a while now that Johnny Juzang could be a guy that eventually found the right spot and was a multi-year bench shooter for a team," wrote Spotrac's Keith Smith on X. "Maybe that's now with the Wolves? Sometimes shooters take a few years to figure it out, then they're on rosters for several years."
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Juzang, as an outside shooter, fits into how the Timberwolves want to play.
So far this preseason, Juzang has made 9-of-15 from beyond the arc.
The Timberwolves' most talented bench scorers are young. Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. are both entering their second year in the NBA.
Juzang hasn't been around that much longer, but he's already been through the ups-and-downs of this league, and he looks better off for it.
Minnesota would still have to figure out how to keep him around, but if Juzang can play like this, it might be worth it.
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