At the dawn of August, the Minnesota Timberwolves made (minor) headlines with a pair of signings as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Let’s start with Johnny Juzang. First off, let’s address the fact that he now becomes the first Vietnamese player to sign with the Timberwolves. He identifies as Creole-Vietnamese and that is something I’m personally very excited about. I did a brief dive on Juzang as a draft prospect prior to the 2022 NBA draft in case you missed it.
As a basketball player, Juzang has carved a role out for himself with the Utah Jazz in the past three seasons despite going undrafted. Sure, Utah has not been a competitive basketball team during those seasons, but the 24-year-old guard has displayed his ability to shoot the rock.
Juzang spent the first two seasons bouncing between the Jazz and their G League affiliate. He proved himself as a capable scorer with the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging just a tick under 20 points per game. Last season, he appeared in 64 games with the Jazz as a steady rotation player.
According to Chris Hine of the Star Tribune, the deal is not fully guaranteed and that he will be competing for a roster spot or a two-way contract.
Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images
Speaking of two-way contracts, Enrique Freeman snagged the third and final (for now) two-way contract. He replaces Tristen Newton’s spot next to Jesse Edwards and rookie Rocco Zikarsky, though that could be bound to change anytime with three frontcourt players on contract now. The Iowa Wolves had laughably slim depth in the front court last season, and now seem to be bursting at the seems with front court talent.
UPDATE: According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports that Jesse Edwards is on his way out, while Juzang’s contract is just a camp deal. Meanwhile Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that Tristen Newton is returning as well, firming up the three two-way spots as Zikarsky, Freeman, and Newton.
Side note, It’s only fair we also acknowledge that Freeman is Puerto Rican-American. His roots from the Caribbean might bring back some fond (?) memories of our friend JJ Barea.
Freeman stands a bit undersized at 6-foot 7-inches, but he does boast a 7-foot 2-inch wingspan. He plays with a motor that has helped him blossom in the G League after being scooped up by the Indiana Pacers with the 50th pick of the 2024 draft. He averaged 16.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game on 61.6% true shooting for the Indiana Mad Ants last season (Now known as the Noblesville Boom moving forward).