Everyone knows by now (or at least should) that Darryn Peterson canceled his workout with the Utah Jazz. While that may sound like someone who doesn't want to play in Utah, it also may have signaled his confidence that he'll be with the Washington Wizards. After this occurred, NBA Insider Marc Stein revealed that he's heard Peterson may be No. 1 overall.
This is a bigger deal than many think because there's enough smoke here to believe that with him going No. 1, the Jazz would then pick AJ Dybantsa at No. 2, granting their long-time wish, given his Utah ties. Here's what Stein had to say on the matter.
"With only a few days to go before Tuesday night’s first round of the NBA Draft, multiple draft experts have passed along that they legitimately believe Washington could select Kansas’ Darryn Peterson over BYU’s AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick," Stein wrote.
"'Increased consideration' is the way one well-placed insider put it."
Something that needs to be clear is that Utah really shouldn't care about what Peterson has done because they have faced similar circumstances and still went for it anyway. However, Dybantsa grants them their long-time wish because his long-time ties with Utah would make it more likely for him to stay with the team for the long haul.
Dybantsa might not be the better fit, but he might be the better prospect
For the record, Peterson fills a need for the Jazz as a guard more than Dybantsa does as a wing. Utah will still be a playoff contender regardless, and Peterson's abilties would make him and Keyonte George quite a dynamic backcourt.
However, Dybantsa is a jack-of-all-trades point forward. One could argue that once the Jazz have to start paying their players a few years from now, he is a picture-perfect replacement for Lauri Markkanen if and when Utah trades him.
More importantly, having someone who already is well-acquainted with Utah itself and has gone out of his way to stay in Utah for the past few years would make fans optimistic that the Jazz not only have a franchise player, but also one who would stay with the Jazz.
Making it better is that, on paper, Dybantsa will play for a winner from the jump. While stars have left their previous teams to join forces with other stars in the past, what gets stars to stay is when a team builds the right team around their
Of course, all of this is based on the growing sentiment that the Wizards will take Peterson, which no one will know for until if and when they do. The point is, if they do, that just might be perfect for Utah.
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