What does Johnny Juzang’s exit mean for UCLA? Not as much as it would have last year

UCLA’s Johnny Juzang (3) grabs a rebound in front of USC’s Isaiah Mobley. (John Locher / Associated Press)

If all goes well, the end of one glorious UCLA basketball run could lead to the start of another.

So long, Johnny Juzang.

Hello, Amari Bailey.

Juzang’s departure for the NBA draft, which the junior shooting guard announced Wednesday in an Instagram post, clears the way for the Bruins’ next highly coveted wing player to feature more prominently in the team’s plans for next season.

That’s not to say that Juzang won’t be missed. The Tarzana native spent one season at Kentucky before returning to Southern California to help his hometown team reach the 2021 Final Four with an epic scoring spree in which he averaged 22.8 points in the NCAA tournament, including 29 in the season-ending loss to Gonzaga.

“Growing up in Los Angeles to then doing Los Angeles proud is more than a kid could ask for,” Juzang wrote on Instagram. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for so much love and support. I’ll forever be a Bruin, and we’ll all remember the great moments we had.”

Juzang led UCLA in scoring in each of his two seasons, averaging a combined 15.8 points, and ranks No. 10 in school history with 174 points in the NCAA tournament despite making just two postseason trips, including this season’s run to the Sweet 16.

But the Bruins are far better positioned to withstand the loss of the 6-foot-7 Juzang than they would have been a year ago, when he returned in hopes of another trip to the Final Four.

Bailey, the 6-5 combo guard from Chatsworth Sierra Canyon High, is UCLA’s fifth-highest-rated recruit in the more than two decades since 247 Sports started ranking prospects, one spot above Lonzo Ball.

A polished scorer and passer, Bailey should challenge for a starting spot to begin next season alongside Jaime Jaquez Jr., the veteran guard who announced this week that he would remain a Bruin in 2022-23.

Guards Tyger Campbell and Jules Bernard could also return…

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