Darryn Peterson didn't exactly have the best outing in the Las Vegas Summer League, but that hasn't put any sort of brakes to the hype train for the Utah Jazz guard. We learned a lot about him since he showed his stuff in the Summer League, and it's still positive. If that's not enough, a scout set the bar even higher for Peterson than it already was.
A Western Conference scout told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that Peterson has a package not many guards have wielded in the past decade, going as far as putting him in the same conversation
"Peterson has the most polished offensive perimeter package of any guard over the last 10 draft seasons," the scout told McMenamin. "He and Anthony Edwards have a chance to set the NBA standard by which guards are judged."
The comparisons were there even before Utah drafted him. Peterson was getting compared to Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade as the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario was Bradley Beal, someone who averaged over 30 points a game over two straight seasons.
The fact that he's already being put in the same breath as Anthony Edwards, a borderline MVP candidate who has been to the Western Conference Finals twice already, shows the kind of all-around talent the Jazz already possess.
It may be a matter of when, not if, with Peterson
Like any rookie, it's not like Peterson should be expected to dominate from the jump. However, he is on a team hoping to compete for the playoffs that has every ingredient possible to be a title twam except the centerpiece. Peterson looks the part of just that.
Because of precisely that, Utah's projected ascension may be faster than we think. It may not be this season, but Peterson is promising enough to be potentially the best player the Jazz have had since Karl Malone. Yes, that bar is high, but when seeing all of these comparisons and seeing what he can do, we shouldn't rule out just how good the Jazz's golden prospect can truly be.
Utah already has an excellent core surrounding him. He may be the ceiling raiser that takes them to new heights. No one is saying it's championship or bust for the Jazz, but even with the little that Peterson has shown, it's suddenly in the realm of possibility.
Peterson has the right amount of talent, the right mindset, and even the right team. Add three rights, and it's hard to see how this doesn't go right for the Jazz when it's all said and done.
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