In a flurry of moves to shore up the bottom half of the roster, the Utah Jazz inked former Kentucky forward and AP Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe to a two-way contract on Monday.
Utah also signed 2024 second round pick and former Duke forward Kyle Filipowski, as well as former UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, to guaranteed contracts.
Tshiebwe was one of the greatest college basketball stars of the decade, spending two seasons at West Virginia before transferring to join John Calipari at Kentucky for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds as a junior, earning Player of the Year honors, and was a consensus All-American two years in a row before going undrafted and latching on with the Indiana Pacers last year.
The 6’9 forward was outstanding in the G League, and now gets a chance to prove himself and potentially earn a standard NBA contract in Utah – although Filipowski’s guaranteed deal certainly hurts Tshiebwe’s chances.
Filipowski was also a consensus All American in college, and his fall into the second round in June was a surprising one. He showed his range and versatility during Summer League, and now will get a chance to carve out a role with the Jazz on a standard deal.