Utah head coach Will Hardy called his shot Tuesday night. <\/p>\n
He believed that rookie guard Darryn Peterson would make up for an up-and-down first preseason game on Sunday. <\/p>\n
In that game, he scored 3 points, shot 1-for-5 from the field and missed some looks he makes in his sleep. More importantly, he never looked comfortable. <\/p>\n
Hardy wasn\u2019t exactly worried. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think Darryn wasn\u2019t himself in the first game,\u201d Hardy said pregame. \u201cThat\u2019s not the Darryn we\u2019ve seen during camp. I think he was caught in between; sometimes, when you\u2019re trying to be perfect on every play and you don\u2019t want to screw up, you can be a little frozen. I feel like we\u2019ve seen him play much more freely in practice today. I felt like in the game, he was really trying to be maybe overly precise. <\/p>\n
\u201cI do think he made good decisions and just missed some shots on the offensive side. But Darryn is a competitor. He wants to win. \u2026 I feel like tonight we\u2019ll see a Darryn that\u2019s a little more settled in.\u201d <\/p>\n
Consider him settled. <\/p>\n
Peterson gave Utah fans a preview of what he could become Tuesday against Denver.<\/p>\n
Get How ‘Bout This Jazz newsletter. Utah Jazz post-game analysis and hot takes from The Tribune\u2019s Andy Larsen.<\/p>\n
The Jazz lost to the Nuggets 117-106 in a preseason matchup at the Delta Center, but that result didn\u2019t matter. <\/p>\n
What did matter was Peterson. Want to see why the Jazz picked Peterson second overall? Just take a look at the first half Tuesday. <\/p>\n
That was his domain. <\/p>\n
Most rookies take some time to figure out how to play the game at their own pace. Peterson might have only needed one game. There were moments when Peterson looked fully in control. <\/p>\n
He was decisive and got to his spots without forcing anything.<\/p>\n
By halftime, he had 12 points, two rebounds and three assists.<\/p>\n
The start of the third quarter wasn\u2019t as kind to Peterson. He had a stretch where he missed a 3-pointer, turned the ball over on an inbounds pass and then committed an offensive foul. <\/p>\n
For some younger players, that could have unraveled a great day. That wasn\u2019t the case for Peterson. In the latter half of the third quarter, he caught fire, scoring 9 points in the quarter\u2019s final minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel a little more adjusted,\u201d he said. Second game, but nothing really felt different.\u201d<\/p>\n
How did he adjust? Well, Peterson said the game slowed down for him compared to the first game. <\/p>\n
That was reflected in his numbers.<\/p>\n
He finished with 23 points, three rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes and shot 10-for-18 from the field. He didn\u2019t play in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
One good preseason game doesn\u2019t mean much. It doesn\u2019t guarantee Peterson becomes a star. Still, it was a building block. And Hardy liked what he saw from the rookie for the most part. <\/p>\n
\u201cDarryn is a really talented offensive player,\u201d Hardy said. \u201cHe\u2019s pretty sophisticated for his game in terms of pace and footwork. He understands how to use his body to create separation. He\u2019s still adjusting to the length as it relates to closeouts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hardy said that Peterson shot-faked a few 3-pointers Tuesday that he thinks the rookie could have gotten off. Small stuff on a mostly great night for the guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis ball-handling ability to use his body to create space is going to be a weapon for him going forward. It was nice to see him create some of those shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Somehow, Peterson gave Jazz fans a reason to remember a random preseason game in early October. <\/p>\n
Call that the Peterson effect. <\/p>\n
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