Chris Finch opens up about Johnny Juzang after Timberwolves cut ties with him

Wednesday brought the surprising news that the Minnesota Timberwolves had waived Johnny Juzang. On a two-way contract for the whole season, the 24-year-old spent the majority of the year with the NBA club.

Timberwolves beat writer Andrew Dukowitz asked head coach Chris Finch about Juzang and his being waived. Finch said the following,

“ Johnny was great for what we brought him here for. We thought there might be more opportunities for him along the way. You know as a two-way I think regrettably we kind of burned through the games early on… he has a high-level skill being able to shoot the ball, he’s played enough NBA minutes that I’m sure he’s going to continue to have opportunities somewhere else, maybe down the road that’s here. He was nothing but a great pro and a joy to coach every single day.”

Waiving Juzang opens up a two-way slot for the Timberwolves.

Juzang never received a chance to enter the Timberwolves rotation

A player on a two-way deal can spend no more than 50 games with the NBA team he is signed to. In order to go over 50, that player then must sign a standard deal.

That’s what many Wolves fans believed would happen with Juzang. The team still has one open roster spot even after bringing back Mike Conley. Juzang was at 49 games with the Timberwolves, so if they wanted to keep him, a standard deal would soon need to be agreed upon.

Instead of using up that final game he could be in the NBA with Minnesota, Juzang was sent down to the Iowa Wolves of the G League for a couple games, but he never appeared in a contest for them this season.

While Johnny remained on the Timberwolves roster almost all season, playing time was few and far between. Juzang remained outside the rotation all year, with much of his time coming when the game was no longer in question. Appearing in 21 outings for a total of just 88 minutes, Juzang’s tenure with the Timberwolves ends with 43 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists.

Minnesota may look to the buyout market to possibly fill the open roster spot they currently have. With Juzang getting waived, they also now have a two-way contract available to use. Enrique Freeman and Rocco Zikarsky are the two current two-way players on the Timberwolves roster.