Johnny Juzang could be the answer to help the Timberwolves’ massive early season problem

The Timberwolves have one of the least productive benches in the NBA. That continued into Monday’s meltdown (yes, their second straight) against the Kings.

Minnesota signed Johnny Juzang to a non-guaranteed (and later converted to a two-way) contract this offseason. He earned a two-way after a fantastic pre-season, and it may be time for Chris Finch to see if Juzang can help solve the bench problems.

Juzang was a scorer when he was at Utah

One thing is clear, and that is that the Timberwolves’ reserves could use a scoring boost. Their bench totaled just 18 points in Monday’s loss.

Maybe it’s time to play someone who has proven to be a capable outside shooter and scorer in previous seasons? Now in his fourth year, Juzang has only appeared in garbage time since the regular season began for Minnesota. In seven appearances, the 6-foot-1 guard/forward has seen just 21 minutes of action.

If you remember, Juzang made it clear that he deserved a roster spot because of his play in the preseason. In 17.6 minutes per game across five preseason games, Juzang averaged 13.8 points (and 4.2 rebounds). The scoring was also efficient, as he shot 50% from the field and 14-29 (48.3%) on three-point attempts.

Last season (albeit on a bad Jazz team), Juzang averaged 8.9 points in 19.8 minutes. He shot 37.6% from deep on nearly five three-point attempts per game. He reached double figures in scoring in 30 of his 64 appearances, including a 27-point performance against the Wizards.

While he wouldn’t get the playing time he got in Utah, why not see if Juzang could provide a spark to a disappointing bench?

One of the least productive benches in the NBA

Monday’s loss dropped Naz Reid by 15 points in 23 minutes. The former Sixth Man of the Year can be counted on to impress off the bench as well.

The other reserves not so much. Mike Conley had three points in 25 minutes. The returning Terrence Shannon Jr. did not score in his seven minutes. Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark combined to keep them scoreless in 15 minutes.

That’s just 18 points off the bench, with five-sixths coming from Reid. That’s also well below the 31.4 points per game they’re getting from their reserves this season, the third-fewest in the NBA.

Much of the conversation surrounding the Timberwolves will be about absolutely blowing a second straight game. However, don’t gloss over the fact that scoring from the reserves (outside of Reid) has been an absolute struggle.