Johnny Juzang declares for the NBA Draft

Johnny Juzang has officially declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, but will retain his college eligibility. Juzang made the announcement via his Twitter:

It was a magical season for Juzang and the UCLA Bruins, making their first Final Four since 2008 with Juzang leading the way.

Juzang made a business decision in his choice to leave the Kentucky Wildcats program following the end of the 2020 season, which led to Juzang making an Immanuel Quickley-esque jump, becoming one of the most improved players in the nation.

After transferring to UCLA, Juzang saw an increase in minutes by 20 minutes, and increased his scoring from 2.9 PPG to 16 PPG. There is a reason that Calipari wanted to keep Juzang in Lexington longer, but unfortunately, the appeal of playing closer to home won Juzang over in the end.

If Juzang decides to withdraw from the draft and return to Los Angeles, the Bruins could be a pre-season top-3 team with Johnny leading the way again. They’re also set to face Kentucky in the 2021 CBS Sports Classic, so Juzang could end up facing the Cats.

Despite leaving the program, Juzang became one of the more beloved UK players in recent memory due to his success in the past season’s NCAA Tournament.

Selfishly, I hope Johnny stays in the draft because UCLA will be scary if he returns next season.