The 2026 NBA Summer League is here, and it began (as always) with the annual California Classic. This period marks the first time fans get to see the new rookie class in action, and it often serves as a preview of what’s to come.
Yesterday was day one of the event, and it featured strong performances from young athletes such as Cameron Carr and Yaxel Lendeborg. Today, it was Utah Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson who stole the show, scoring 28 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 52.3% shooting and 57.1% shooting from three in a 103-102 win over the Hawks.
Darryn Peterson’s Summer League debut:
28 PTS
5 REB
2 AST
2 BLK
4 3PT
8 TO
11-21 FGpic.twitter.com/6k4gJi1TBP
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) July 4, 2026
Coming out of Kansas, Peterson is a 6’5″ combo guard who is known for his elite shot-making and smooth ball handling. Between early injuries and concerns about attitude and work ethic, there were fears that Peterson’s stock would fall this year, but the Jazz were unfazed by the critics and selected him second overall.
While it’s still too early to draw any conclusions on his game, the early signs suggest the Jazz made the right choice. Tonight, in his first taste of NBA Summer League action, Peterson laid it all out on the table, putting on a statement game that had fans gushing with reactions.
“Yeah, that’s a future All-Star right there,” wrote one fan on X. “Plays at his own pace and a smooth 3-level scorer w/ nice Finishing ability both hands around rim. Jazz should make at least the play-in tournament this year. No more bottom 5 tanking BS.”
Unlike many stars today, Peterson isn’t a specialist. While scoring is his best attribute, he’s someone who can do a little of everything on the court, and we saw that tonight as he dominated both ends of the court. With more time and experience under his belt, we can only imagine what more he’ll be able to do.
“4 triples and 2 blocks tell you everything,” one fan posted. “He isn’t just an isolated bucket getter; his physical tools out on the perimeter are going to look completely broken in Will Hardy’s system.”
Of course, it didn’t take long for the fans to come up with comparisons. One of the biggest names mentioned was Kobe Bryant, who apparently played a very similar way that Peterson did tonight.
“His game is so reminiscent of Kobe’s. Wizard fans will be out for blood if he balls harder than AJ,” wrote another fan.
As well as Darryn played, there were still some who took a more critical approach. He committed eight turnovers in the game, but fans also noticed some mistakes on defense, which could prove costly in an actual regular-season game.
“Great game from the kid,” one fan wrote. “Just worried about his defense. Bro was lazy, especially on a few plays in the clutch.”
It remains to be seen if Darryn will play the entire Summer League, but it looks like he may already be NBA-ready. In fact, many fans have already looked ahead to try and imagine how he might fit with some of his Jazz teammates.
“I want to see how he plays with Keyonte George, ” a fan wrote. “I don’t know who’s going to play the PG. I’m assuming Darryn Peterson moves to SG cause he’s a bucket, but he doesn’t get assists like that. Keyonte is a better passer, but Darryn Peterson says he prefers being PG with the ball, so I want to see.”
The 2026 NBA Draft was considered one of the most stacked in recent NBA history, and we’re seeing why. In just the first two days of Summer League, we’ve seen amazing displays of talent, not least of which from Peterson himself. If he keeps going at this trajectory, he’ll reach star status in no time, potentially putting the Jazz in a position to climb the Western Conference standings.
