In his short time in the NBA, No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson has been able to set the basketball world alight in his two games for the Utah Jazz in the NBA’s Salt Lake City Summer League.
Against the Atlanta Hawks last week, Peterson went for 28 points on 11-21 from the field, to go with five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and eight turnovers. This was a dizzying performance that saw several clutch shots and several magnificent step-back jumpers that were opened up beautifully by Peterson’s fast feet and quick trigger.
Peterson was eager to show that his ability to take a game over at the next level was not a flash in the pan, as on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies and the No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer, Peterson showed out once again, finishing with 25 points on an 8-15 mark from the field, along with 12 assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Monday still saw Peterson notch the occasional step-back shot, but it also flexed a playmaking IQ that was largely left untapped with Kansas. By no means was Peterson making any groundbreaking passes Monday night; it was more or less just solidly reading the defense and his teammates being able to knock down the mostly open looks Peterson was providing.
At KU, he struggled to leave an offensive impact on the game beyond scoring boatloads of points. Across his sole season, he finished with just 38 assists.
On the other side of the aisle sat Boozer, who himself had a stellar game as well, finishing with 18 points on 6-9 from the field that went with seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
When speaking with the media postgame, Peterson was asked about pulling any motivation from playing against Boozer. Peterson replied, “Always. I always try to find something against everybody I play against. Yeah, he was the pick after me. So I know he probably had an agenda today as well. So, I couldn't let that ride.”
Darryn Peterson on playing against Cam Boozer today:
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) July 7, 2026
"(Cam Boozer) was the pick after me. So, I know that he probably had an agenda today. I couldn't let that ride." pic.twitter.com/saXB4k1fnP
Peterson has been able to show so much more than he could at KU
By no means was Peterson a slouch with the Jayhawks, but fans never truly got to see him. Whether via his limited time in front of the media or in his lack of games thanks to several injury issues, you hardly got to see Peterson’s calmly confident manner that would have truly made him a fan-favorite.
In his one season with KU, the nation’s No. 1 player in the class of 2025 finished with 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, the aforementioned 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals on a 43.8% field goal rate, which included a laser-focused 38.2% from beyond the arc.
What’s next for Peterson?
Tuesday night will see the Jazz take on the 2025 NBA Champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City Summer League’s final night of action, before the league-wide NBA Summer League kicks off on July 9th. Since the 4th, the Jazz have only taken part in a four-team league.
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