Utah Jazz excited after drafting former KU Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Utah selected Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 overall pick.
- Team doctors reviewed Peterson’s combine tests; Jazz say they found no red flags.
- Peterson is slated to play in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer League games.
The Utah Jazz entered Tuesday’s NBA Draft with zero concerns regarding the physical condition of one-and-done University of Kansas combo guard Darryn Peterson.
“Our doctors went through everything from the (NBA) Combine (May 10-17 in Chicago) and all the tests that were ordered and we feel very comfortable,” Austin Ainge, the Jazz president of basketball operations told Utah media members following the team’s selection of Peterson at No. 2 overall, one slot behind Washington Wizards pick AJ Dybantsa of BYU.
“He’s ready to hit the ground running, and we plan on seeing him in summer league,” Ainge added.
Yes, Peterson, who missed 11 games his one season at KU because of cramping issues, is slated to play for Utah in the Salt Lake City Summer League (July 4-7) and Las Vegas Summer League (July 9-19).
Ainge told the Deseret News that Peterson, who blamed his availability problems at KU on excessive creatine in his body, “has been working out twice a day, has already gotten visibly stronger since the combine last month and there are no red flags.”
Ainge, the son of former NBA champion Danny Ainge, the team’s CEO, told Utah media members shortly after the pick was made: “We’re so excited to add Darryn. Darryn fits all the plays in the playbook. It doesn’t matter what you call Darryn, he’s going to run pick-and-roll, come off screens, etc. We’ll see how it expands and fits within the group.
“He’s a really talented player. He is a really hard worker. He’s got culture fit, talent fit, game fit with our organization, and we think he’ll be a huge part of us in the short term and the long term. We had a chance to talk to him a minute ago, and he’s super pumped.”
Peterson played in 24 games with the Jayhawks, including two games in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game on the season.
“He’s just a really talented player,” Austin Ainge said of Peterson, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune. “And the thing that we like most about him is for a 19-year-old he feels very complete. He can drive left, he can drive right, he can shoot off the catch, he can shoot off the dribble, he can guard, he can play pick-and-roll, he can play off the ball. It feels like he can help all of our other talented players in a lot of different ways.”
Peterson on Tuesday said he enjoyed visiting with Austin Ainge and others from the Jazz, who visited Peterson in his hometown of Canton, Ohio prior to draft night.
“It meant a lot to me,” Peterson said, per nba.com. “To come to my hometown and want to meet with me … it was a great conversation. We talked about the new stuff (the Jazz) have planned. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
The Deseret News’ Carson Hilton attended a Jazz draft party for fans in Salt Lake City. He pointed out that “though fans were generally excited about the pick, there were a healthy number of fans in Dybantsa BYU jerseys, hoping he was headed back to Utah.”
“Seeing AJ go No. 1 was a little disappointing just because he’s been in Utah for a long time,” Jazz fan Jonathan Harr told the Deseret News. Harr was one of the fans wearing a Dybantsa BYU jersey.
“But I think Darryn Peterson is a great talent, and I was really excited to get him. There was no way to go wrong. I hope Darryn can take us to the promised land, and I know the team we have now is stacked, and I think people are going to underestimate us,” Harr added.
“You see a lot of things on social media like, ‘Jazz are up on Cam (Boozer who went third to Memphis),’ or ‘Jazz want to pick AJ,’” said Jazz fan Danny Magallanes. “I really thought Darryn was the best prospect, so it was good seeing AJ go off the board because Darryn is who we need.”
Of Peterson’s fit in Utah, a team that has a Jayhawk on the roster in Svi Mykhailiuk, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Trib wrote: “The Jazz’s personnel layout should give him room to grow into a higher and higher usage role as he develops his game. Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, Walker Kessler and Ace Bailey all can be off-ball finishers on plays Peterson and the Jazz set up.
“Peterson’s defensive output is also best among the top three picks in this draft. He’s not a defensive high-energy hound, but rather a strong reader of the game who garnered plenty of steals and blocks with the Jayhawks, a skill the Jazz desperately need on the perimeter. Peterson will now join Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. on a team ready to compete for a Western Conference playoff spot,” Larsen added.
Ainge believes the Jazz can improve greatly on last year’s abysmal 22-60 record.
“We’re so excited about Darryn,” Ainge said after the pick. “It feels like a culmination of a lot of patience and building. We’re really grateful for our fans and that they’ve stuck with us. On top of Darryn, we have a bunch of talented players and can make big steps this year.”
