Hoosiers in the Pros: 5 Things to Know About Juwan Morgan
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Juwan Morgan had a take a bit of a longer path, but he has found a home in Utah. The Indiana graduate proved himself in the G-League and at the NBA level, even starting in a playoff game for the Jazz in the NBA's bubble last summer.
He heads into his second year with a spot on the Utah roster, so here's five things to know about Juwan Morgan:
1. Sophomore year
After fighting to earn his place last season, Morgan has proven himself as a legitimate NBA player with the Utah Jazz. He goes into his second NBA season on the Jazz's roster and has a lot more under his belt going into this season than he did a year ago.
The Jazz have high hopes to make a run in the Western Conference playoffs behind stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, and Morgan has a chance to be a real part of that on their deep and talented front line.
2.) Undrafted to playoff starter
Morgan played 15 games for Utah's G-League affiliate last season and had plenty of games with the NBA club where he did not play or played a just a few minutes at the end of games.
However, after staying the course, he earned a start in their opening playoff game when the Jazz were dealing with injuries and unavailable players. Morgan was the first undrafted rookie to ever start a playoff game.
Looking at Morgan's work ethic and the Jazz's apparent belief in him, there is a legitimate chance for him to crack a real rotation spot during the season.
3.) G-League killer
While playing 15 games for the Salt Lake City Stars of the G-League, Morgan proved he does not belong there. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 blocks.
There is still a chance that Morgan spends time there at some point due to his young age, and the depth on the Jazz roster. Getting extended minutes at times to keep working on his game might make sense. Fortunately for Morgan, it's clear that he does not belong there long-term.
4.) Potential reunion?
Yogi Ferrell, Morgan's former teammate at Indiana, was signed and waived by the Jazz earlier this week, but he is on their G-League team. So there is still a chance that he gets called up to the NBA club at some point and there can be a Hoosier reunion.
Ferrell and Morgan played one year together at IU during Morgan's freshman season in Bloomington in 2016. The Hoosiers won a Big Ten regular-season championship that season, and reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.
Hoosier fans would love to see a reunion in Utah with two of the more popular Hoosiers in recent memory.
5.) Efficiency
Even though Morgan's minutes have been limited, he has been is efficient in those games. He was 15-for-26 from the field in the regular season so far, a rate of 57.7 percent.
Previous 'Hoosiers in the Pros' stories
- CODY ZELLER INJURED : Charlotte center Cody Zeller has waited nine months to play a game, but a broken hand in the season opener will keep him out a month or more. CLICK HERE
- ERIC GORDON'S NEW ROLE: New Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas wants to get the most out of Eric Gordon's scoring potential, so he's going to use him off the bench in a sixth-man role to start the season. CLICK HERE
- NEW PATH FOR YOGI FERRELL: After struggling to find a new home during this offseason, Yogi Ferrell was signed by the Utah Jazz but will start the season in the G-League. CLICK HERE
- OG ANUNOBY: OG Anunoby has been an important piece in the Toronto Raptors' postseason runs, and he was rewarded with a new four-year, $72 million contract this week. CLICK HERE
