Johnny Juzang

After appearing in 64 games for the Jazz last season, Juzang made 21 appearances for the Timberwolves before being waived on Wednesday. His departure will free up a two-way contract slot, but it won’t affect fantasy basketball.

Juzang, who agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Timberwolves on August 1, played well during the preseason. He’ll stick around on a two-way contract, which allows Minnesota to make Juzang active for up to 50 regular-season games. However, the team must waive Tristen Newton, Enrique Freeman or Rocco Zikarsky to free up a two-way slot for Juzang. Zikarsky’s two-way deal runs for two years, so he’s the player most likely to remain with the Timberwolves.

While Juzang agreed to a one-year deal with the Timberwolves in August, his contract is non-guaranteed. So, every positive performance has added meaning for the guard, who had another good shooting night. Juzang shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc against Guangzhou, less than a week after knocking down six triples against the Pacers. Last season, the Timberwolves were ranked in the top five in three-point makes and attempts per game, and fourth in three-point percentage. With Minnesota having one open roster spot, Juzang is doing all he can to earn that opportunity.

Juzang, who signed a non-guaranteed deal with Minnesota in August, made a big impact on the scoreboard for a second consecutive game. After scoring 16 points in Minnesota’s first game of the preseason on Saturday, Juzang topped that mark in this loss to Indiana. This isn’t enough to lock him in for a roster spot, but it certainly helps strengthen his case.

Juzang played the first three years of his career with the Jazz before being waived on June 30. The Wolves will utilize his strong three-point shooting abilities after Juzang shot 38.4% from beyond the arc across his last two seasons.

Over the last two seasons, the UCLA product has averaged just over eight points and 1.7 triples while shooting 38.4 percent from downtown. He should have no problem landing with a new team that can utilize his floor-spacing abilities.

Juzang moved into the starting lineup with Walker Kessler (concussion) out Friday. The 24-year-old shooting guard played 36 minutes in the loss to the Pacers. He took plenty of shots, but had just 17 points. Juzang connected on 5-of-12 three-pointers. He was just okay as a streamer in deeper formats, which was to be expected.

The Jazz are without Walker Kessler (concussion) for Friday’s game, and his absence opens up a spot in the starting lineup. Juzang will fill the void, with Filipowski shifting to the center position. The former is worth streaming consideration in deep leagues, while the latter is already rostered in some standard leagues.

With both Collin Sexton (pelvis) and Cody Williams (illness) sidelined against Charlotte, Sensabaugh and Juzang will fill out the open spots in the starting lineup. Both players scored in double figures in Utah’s last game and should take on extra minutes as starters. Martin will also replace Oscar Tshiebwe in the starting unit.