The Utah Jazz have selected Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 overall pick at the 2026 NBA Draft. They seem to have found a key backcourt piece for their future as they look to build a young roster that is stacked with talent. Peterson spoke to Lisa Salters after his selection and expressed his initial reactions to confirming that he is headed to Utah.
“He didn’t even say much, he was just happy for me,” said Peterson on hugging his grandfather the first thing after being drafted.
“Honestly, I didn’t. But my pops always knew. Once I got older, I started believing it as well, and all of it paid off,” said Peterson on his expectations of this outcome when he began putting in the hard workouts during the summer with his father.
“That was my number. That shows me how much he respects me as a dad. And he just embraced it,” said Peterson’s father on his reaction to his son wearing the number 22 throughout his career. His mother also expressed pride in his selection and felt delighted to be a part of his journey.
The former Kansas Jayhawks guard averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in college while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 38.2% from beyond the three-point line.
Peterson thinks his game resembles the playing style of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and promises to bring a championship to Utah one day. Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins believes his floor is a player like Bradley Beal, and his ceiling could be a player like Kobe Bryant.
So the anticipation is that Peterson will hit the ground running and exceed expectations despite a troubled stretch of health issues in college. They may have found the perfect guard to pair with Keyonte George in their backcourt. He may even earn a starting role from early on in his first season, while Ace Bailey can return to his original position of being a wing/forward.
With solid pieces like Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler (if he extends), and Ace Bailey in the frontcourt, and a dynamic backcourt duo of Peterson and George, this young Jazz team has suddenly become a promising future playoff contender in my opinion.
But it could be tricky for this young team to figure out its chemistry once they hit the court together for the first time since they are all ball-dominant players. Do you think the Jazz have made the right selection? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
