Season stats: 2025-26. Updated 7 h ago.
Bez Mbeng Enters 2026-27 Healthy, Looking to Build on His Rookie Numbers
newsroom · 3 h agoBez Mbeng heads into the 2026-27 season with the Utah Jazz off a rookie year that saw him play heavy minutes at guard. He is not on the injury report right now. The Yale product's next step is turning last season's playing time into more consistent scoring and shooting.
Where Things Stand
Bez Mbeng is not on the injury report heading into the 2026-27 season. He wears No. 21 for the Jazz and plays guard. At 6-4 and 185 pounds, he has the frame teams like at the position, and at 23 years old he is not a young project anymore. He comes into this season with one year of NBA experience under his belt, all of it with Utah. The roster spot is his to build on. With no injury concerns listed, the focus for Mbeng this fall is simple: take the reps from last season and turn them into a bigger role. There is no new health news to report, which for a young guard trying to carve out a job is itself good news.
Last Season by the Numbers
Mbeng played 15 games last season for Utah, and when he was on the floor, the Jazz used him plenty: 32.8 minutes a game. He averaged 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists, with 2.3 steals a game showing up on the ball defensively. He also chipped in 0.3 blocks and turned it over 1.5 times a night. Those are rookie-year numbers for a guard who was trusted with heavy minutes right away. The workload stands out more than the scoring average. A team does not hand 32.8 minutes to a rookie guard unless it likes what it sees on both ends of the floor, and Utah did exactly that with Mbeng in his first taste of the league last season.
Shooting and Efficiency
Mbeng shot 50.0 percent from the field last season, a strong number for a guard, paired with a true shooting mark of 55.0 percent. The three-point shot was the rough spot: 19.4 percent from deep. At the line he made 64.0 percent of his free throws. His usage rate sat at 10.6, low for a player logging over 32 minutes a night, which points to a game built more around playmaking and defense than shot creation. The gap between his solid two-point efficiency and his three-point number is the clearest development target for 2026-27. If Mbeng can bring the outside shot closer to league average, the rest of his game already gives Utah a guard who can defend and set up others.
Playmaking and Defense
The assist and steal numbers are what separate Mbeng's rookie line from a typical bench guard. He averaged 4.1 assists and 2.3 steals last season, numbers that suggest a guard who is more focused on setting up teammates and pressuring the ball than hunting his own shot. That shows up in the low 10.6 usage rate. Utah leaned on him to play organizer and disruptor, not first option. The 1.5 turnovers per game is a manageable number for a guard handling that much responsibility. For a rookie playing over 32 minutes a night, that combination of assists and steals with a low turnover rate is a sign of a guard who takes care of the ball while still making an impact on both ends.
From Yale to the NBA
Mbeng came to the NBA out of Yale, an uncommon path to a rotation guard job. He is entering his second season in the league, all of it with Utah so far, and he has already shown he can handle a real workload at 32.8 minutes a game. The jump from Ivy League basketball to averaging that kind of playing time as a rookie speaks to what the Jazz saw in his defense and playmaking. Nothing in his profile suggests a role change is coming into 2026-27. He is not on the injury report, and there is no word of a trade, contract move or change in his standing on the roster. The expectation is more of the same role, with better shooting numbers if he can find them.
Questions fans ask
What jersey number does Bez Mbeng wear for the Jazz?
Mbeng wears No. 21 for Utah.
Is Bez Mbeng injured right now?
No. He is not on the injury report.
What college did Bez Mbeng play at?
He played at Yale.
What were Bez Mbeng's stats last season?
In 15 games last season, Mbeng averaged 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.3 steals in 32.8 minutes a game, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 19.4 percent from three.
How much experience does Bez Mbeng have in the NBA?
He has one season of NBA experience, all of it with the Utah Jazz.
What position does Bez Mbeng play?
He plays guard, listed at 6-4 and 185 pounds.
Game log
last 0| Date | Opp | Result | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | FG | 3P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No games logged yet this season. | |||||||||