The Utah Jazz picked another guy the internet can’t agree on. That’s two years in a row now. Last year it was the big fella who sat out a bunch. This time it’s Darryn Peterson, the 19-year-old guard who missed chunks of his final college season with injuries and spent long stretches on the bench. Some people questioned his motor. Others wondered if he even wanted it. Nobody really questioned whether he could play.
Peterson showed why in his NBA Summer League debut Friday night. He scored 28 points on 11-for-21 shooting. He grabbed five rebounds. He had two assists and two blocks. He also had eight turnovers in 27 minutes, which is a lot. But the Jazz won 103-102 over the Hawks, and the kid made a hell of a first impression even with all the sloppy stuff.
High risk, high reward for Utah
The Jazz front office is betting big on Peterson being the guy. They already have Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. anchoring the frontcourt. What they don’t have is a perimeter creator who can take over games. Peterson is supposed to be that. He’s got the kind of handle and shot creation that makes scouts drool. He can get to his spots off the dribble. He has deep range. He’s aggressive, sometimes too aggressive obviously.
That aggressiveness showed up in the turnover column. He forced passes into traffic. He lost the handle a couple times driving into crowds. Rookie stuff. The kind of stuff that tends to clean up with reps and better spacing. What matters more is that he didn’t shrink. Down the stretch of a one-point game, he wanted the ball. That’s not nothing.
Fans online were split, as you’d expect. Some saw the scoring and called him a future All-Star. Others focused on the eight turnovers and called him a bust in the making. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Peterson has a long way to go before he’s the face of the franchise. But the talent is unmistakable.
What comes next
Peterson told reporters after the game he was happy with the win but not with the turnovers. He said the game felt fast and he needs to slow down mentally. That’s the kind of self-awareness you want to hear from a teenager getting his first NBA minutes.
Utah will get another look at him Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Expect some ups and downs. That’s Summer League. That’s also a 19-year-old guard with the keys to an offense. The Jazz are patient. They have to be. Peterson’s ceiling is high enough that the wobbles are worth enduring.
He did not want to sit out Saturday’s practice though. The coaching staff had to basically force him to take a recovery day.
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