Utah Jazz fans are excited for the Darryn Peterson era.
He is a talented rookie, with some already projecting him as a 20 ppg scorer right off the bat. Some of us say he needs to work on limiting turnovers, but nobody denies that he's as good as was advertised.
And the chatter about him not wanting to go to Utah? That's all gone now. Peterson is here to stay and ready to be an NBA player, IN UTAH.
The Salt Lake City Summer League was a showcase for Peterson's talents, as he scored at all three levels with ease, and brought the crowd to their feet with fantastic plays over and over again.
Now that he's likely done playing in Las Vegas, here are five things that we found out about Darryn Peterson during Summer League:
5. His teammates love him already, and are excited for the future
Keyonte George is excited about the backcourt that he and DP will be heading up. He sees the growth potential and having gone through his own growing pains as a rookie, will be uniquely qualified to guide Peterson through his entry into the NBA.
4. The fans have embraced him
Sarah Todd of the Deseret News wrote about Peterson and how he's been embraced by the fans, and returns that love in return, wanting everyone to know he's an easygoing, easy-to-approach guy.
3. His defense may surprise people
While nobody thought Peterson would be a horrible defender, he showed over summer league games in Salt Lake and Las Vegas that he may be a better defender than expected.
Peterson racked up five blocked shots and four steals over his four summer league outings, and got in passing lanes and had other plays that led to the Jazz getting the ball back, even if he didn't get the credit.
2. His humilty is a great sign of a player willing to learn
Seeing Darryn Peterson come in and not act like he's the best player on the court, while showing everyone that he most definitely IS that, has been refreshing. The Jazz have had a lot of players come through in their 52 seasons, and DP could become one of the best Jazz players in time, due not just to his talent, but his humility and work ethic.
1. He has a chance to be the best Jazz rookie ever
Seeing what Peterson can become will be exciting. The last Jazz rookie to have such an electric Summer League debut? None other than Donovan Mitchell, who went on to become an All-Star and All-NBA performer in no time.
That's a high bar to meet. Getting Rookie of the Year will be difficult in such a deep rookie class, with AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson all likely to make strong cases as well. Even if he exceeds Ace Bailey's tantalizing season from last year, Peterson might fall short for the award.
Peterson may not need to average 25 a night out of the gate with Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Keyonte George on the roster, but he's too good to be relegated to a "stand in the corner and play defense" role. Letting him loose may be the best plan - having four guys who can score and take the load off each other is the key for the Jazz if they want to return to the playoffs in 2025-26.
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