UCLA Wings Johnny Juzang, Peyton Watson Work Out at NBA Draft Combine
The Bruins’ two 2022 NBA Draft Combine participants spent the past three days taking part in events and meeting with organizations in the hopes of being selected on June 23.
UCLA men’s basketball guard Johnny Juzang and guard/forward Peyton Watson declared for the NBA Draft while forgoing their collegiate eligibility in April. From Wednesday through Friday, the former Bruins and the other 74 invitees showcased their intangibles to the 30 NBA teams and countless scouts present.
Guard Jules Bernard competed in the G League Elite Camp earlier in the week in the hopes of joining Juzang and Watson, but he did not receive an invite and the number of Bruins at the combine stayed put at two.
Both Juzang and Watson measured in at lower heights than what the official UCLA roster had them listed at for the 2021-2022 campaign. The former came in at 6-foot-5.25 without shoes, while the latter was 6-foot-6.75 – both nearly 2-inch differences from the Bruins’ roster.
Juzang weighed in at 208.6 pounds with an 8-foot-6.5 standing reach, 6-foot-11 wingspan and 32.5-inch maximum vertical.
The former Kentucky transfer was middle-of-the-pack with his quickness. He tied for No. 17 out of 45 in lane agility with an 11.03-second lane agility time, tied for No. 16 out of 26 in the shuttle run with a 3.17-second finish and was tied for No. 18 out of 30 in the three-quarter sprint at 3.29 seconds.
His teammate, Watson, weighed in at 203.4 pounds, with an 8-foot-11.5 standing reach, 7-foot-0.5 wingspan and a 33.5-inch maximum vertical. Like Juzang, he tied for No. 17 out of 45 in the lane agility drill with an 11.03-second attempt. In the other two tests, the freshman tied for No. 18 out of 26 in the shuttle run with 3.24 seconds and ranked No. 17 out of 30 in the three-quarter sprint with a 3.28-second run.
Neither player competed in the scrimmages on Thursday and Friday, but they did meet with teams who could end up selecting them in the draft.
Juzang was invited to rookie showcases for the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves on May 10 and 12, respectively. On May 23, the sharpshooter will be working out for the Indiana Pacers.
In his two seasons at UCLA, Juzang averaged 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on .436/.356/.854 shooting splits. Juzang was Second Team All-Pac-12 in 2021 before guiding the Bruins to the Final Four, and he followed that up with First Team All-Pac-12 honors in 2022.
Watson, on the other hand, has not taken part in pre-draft scrimmages, but did speak to the media on Thursday.
“My length, my fluidity as an athlete and my ability to affect the defensive side of the ball,” Watson said to Andy Katz for NBA TV, when asked about what parts of his skillset are immediately transferable to the NBA. “I feel like I can come in, contribute immediately and help the energy of a team.”
Watson averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds on 32.2% shooting from the field his freshman year in Westwood. The McDonald’s All-American came off the bench for the Bruins in 32 games before deciding to turn pro.
Both players still have the opportunity to further raise their stock with just over a month to go before the NBA Draft. As of now, in the most recent mock draft from Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo, Watson is a mid-second round selection and Juzang was projected to go undrafted.
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