The Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies 109-100 in Summer League on Monday, and the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 pick in last month’s draft, put on a show that had scouts nodding and fans reaching for their phones.
Peterson finished with 25 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. He shot 8-of-15 from the floor. But it wasn’t just the numbers. It was how he got them and what he said after.
“My teammates did a great job of getting open,” Peterson told reporters after the game. “I was finding them, and they were making shots, so they made it easy on me tonight.”
Classy. But don’t let the humble tone fool you. With the game tight in the final three minutes, Peterson scored five straight points to slam the door on Memphis. He channeled Kobe Bryant, his childhood idol, and said he embraces those moments.
“I’m a Kobe guy. That’s something he did. Anytime I can assert my dominance, I try to. So at the end of the game, I tried to kill.”
That’s the kind of edge Utah needs. The Jazz are rebuilding around a young core, and Peterson looks like the engine. He’ll likely start alongside Keyonte George in the backcourt, with Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ace Bailey filling out the lineup. That group could be dangerous sooner than people think.
Cameron Boozer, taken No. 3 by Memphis, had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Solid game, but Peterson was the story. The Grizzlies fell to 1-1 in Summer League while Utah moved to 2-0.
Peterson played one year at Kansas before declaring for the draft. He came in with a reputation as a floor general with scoring pop, and so far in Summer League, he’s lived up to the billing. He’s making the kind of passes that make teammates better, and when the game slows down for him — and it already looks like it has — he can take over.
Summer League doesn’t mean everything. But for a Jazz franchise looking for its next star, Peterson is giving them reasons to believe.
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