The No. 2 pick the NBA draft finished with 28 points in win over Atlanta. <\/p>\n
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson (22) as the Utah Jazz face the Atlanta Hawks in a Salt Lake City Summer Leauge basketball game on Tuesday, June 30, 2026<\/p>\n
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Darryn Peterson waved his right hand in the air, beckoning center Kylor Kelley to set a pick at center court. <\/p>\n
The Utah Jazz\u2019s No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft didn\u2019t wait long before he dribbled left, sliced past his defender and laid in his first bucket with his right hand. It was the first glimpse of what many Jazz fans hope is the start of a long career for their new star. <\/p>\n
In his Jazz debut in the Salt Lake City Summer League on Saturday, Peterson finished with 28 points, five rebounds and two assists in his first game since being drafted. He shot 11 for 21 from the field and also 4 for 7 from the beyond the arc in Utah\u2019s 103-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2018ve been training super hard,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI\u2019ve been manifesting this game for a long time since my Kansas season ended. To finally put on a jersey and play again, it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson (22) as the Utah Jazz face the Atlanta Hawks in a Salt Lake City Summer Leauge basketball game on Tuesday, June 30, 2026<\/p>\n
In the days before Utah\u2019s first summer league game, summer league head coach and Jazz assistant Steve Wojciechowski said the rookie was everything as advertised from what he had seen in practice.<\/p>\n
It served as a teaser for what Jazz fans would see on the Fourth of July. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s everything that people have said that he was going to be,\u201d said Wojciechowski. \u201cHe\u2019s an incredible worker. These first two days of practice, we\u2019re trying to get a lot in in a little bit of time. He\u2019s completely engaged and gives a max effort in whatever we\u2019ve asked him to do. He\u2019s been a great worker. He\u2019s been a great learner and he\u2019s been a great competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n
As predicted by Wojciechowski, Peterson showed a little bit of everything in his first game as part of the Jazz. <\/p>\n
In the open court during the second quarter, the former Kansas guard sprinted past defenders before he attacked the basket for an and-1 score.<\/p>\n
Peterson drilled a step-back 3-pointer over a flailing defender at the top of the key for his 13th point of the game in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
He even stuffed Houston Rockets rookie and No. 8 overall pick Kingston Flemings on defense, adding fuel to the claims he made about being a \u201ctwo-way\u201d player in his introductory news conference. <\/p>\n
Jazz fans responded with chants of \u201cDarryn, Darryn, Darryn!\u201d every time Peterson shined. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of took me back to my time Kansas,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cLike I said in the media before, the uniform is not just for myself, it\u2019s for the fans as well.\u201d <\/p>\n
After playing in only 23 games in his freshman season with the Jayhawks \u2014 due to lingering cramping issues and a hamstring strain \u2014 Peterson had plenty to prove in his first game since March Madness.<\/p>\n
He wanted to display that his questionable medical history was behind him. <\/p>\n
He wanted to showcase why, he thought, he was deserving of the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft over Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa. <\/p>\n
Peterson also remembered that former St John\u2019s forward Zuby Ejiofor helped end the Jayhawks season in March Madness.<\/p>\n
\u201cZuby, he was on that other team, and they beat us on that game,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if you guys had seen it, but that was in my mind [during the game].\u201d<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-6 guard was able to avenge his alma mater with a clutch 3-pointer in overtime, which helped seal the win for the Jazz.<\/p>\n
Sure it\u2019s summer league.<\/p>\n
And sure it\u2019s Peterson\u2019s first of many games as a pro in Salt Lake City. <\/p>\n
But he impressed in his first full action, leaving Utah\u2019s fans, players and even his summer league head coach excited for what the future holds. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think really good players \u2014 they meet the moment,\u201c Wojciechowski said after the game. <\/p>\n
\u201dIt was obvious in three or four days of a short practice he was really talented, but I think the brought out even more [from him].” <\/p>\n
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