When I watched the NBA playoffs this season, there were a few things that stood out.
The one thing I took from the finals was simple: You can’t win an NBA championship unless you have a dynamic ballhandler, and preferably more than one. Teams that have guys who can get to their spots off the dribble, no matter what, are the teams that win at the highest level. In a championship series where one team had Victor Wembanyama, perhaps the most uniquely skilled big man we have ever seen, the San Antonio Spurs could not close the deal because they did not have Jalen Brunson.
On Tuesday night, the Utah Jazz didn’t have a choice. There was no other recourse. They had to select Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick of the NBA Draft. And if Peterson were the No. 1 pick, they would need to take AJ Dybantsa.
Why Darryn Peterson’s best basketball is still ahead of him
Sam Vecenie
Through all the talk, all the smokescreens, all the bluster and all of the speculation, this was a two-person draft for the Jazz. Sure, Cameron Boozer, who ultimately went to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3, is a terrific and franchise-level prospect. But players with the scoring acumen of Peterson come along maybe once a decade. Peterson’s ability to score from three levels, make shots off the dribble and get to wherever he wants on the floor is something the Jazz have never drafted before. Yes, they drafted John Stockton, Deron Williams and Donovan Mitchell. None of those three were the level of prospect Peterson currently is.
And that’s what ultimately pushed him to the front of the line over Boozer. In this era of basketball, guards win titles. The Knicks had Brunson. The Oklahoma City Thunder had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Boston Celtics had Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Denver Nuggets had Jamal Murray. The Golden State Warriors had Stephen Curry. Name a recent champion, and there’s a guard who can create relentlessly on that roster.
The Jazz did extensive homework on Peterson. They investigated his medicals. They asked about his cramping issues in his one season at Kansas. They conducted numerous interviews. And according to league sources, they traveled to Ohio over the weekend for an in-person interview. In that visit, Peterson expressed to the Jazz how much he wanted to be a part of Utah’s program, team sources told The Athletic.
“They love his talent, character and fit,” a team source said. “He’s super excited to be a part of what they are doing and they are thrilled to have him. They think he can lift their group in the short and long term.”
In this way, Peterson is smart and self-aware. Of the three places he was projected to land, the Jazz are by far his best basketball fit. He should be the odds-on favorite to be the starting shooting guard on opening night. More important, Peterson fits into head coach Will Hardy’s offense seamlessly. He’s unique as a shooter. He’s unique in how well he moves without the ball. And those two parts of his game will remind you of a Ray Allen or, more recently, a prime Bradley Beal.
But Peterson is also great off the dribble, and he has the ability to play both guard spots. That fits well with guard Keyonte George, who broke out last season and had his best year as a professional. And Peterson’s presence alone gives the Jazz backcourt a boost as a group.
Utah and its fans can finally start putting together what their team is going to look like. The frontcourt, led by Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., is athletic and deep. The bench, which will likely be led by Ace Bailey and Isaiah Collier, is ready to add depth to the group overall.
But the main thing Tuesday night did for the Jazz? The hope is back. The Jazz can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s been seemingly forever since Utah ended the era led by Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. It’s been seemingly forever since the Jazz walked into a new season with a team capable of making the playoffs. And it’s been seemingly forever since the Jazz were able to put a premium amount of talent on the floor. They will finally do so next season.
This is what Hardy came to coach the Jazz for. When Markkanen signed a lucrative long-term deal with Utah, this is what he did it for. When the Jazz traded for Jackson Jr. in February, they did so with Tuesday night in mind. And when the Jazz were fined by the NBA for overt tanking, Tuesday night became the ultimate payoff.
But they had to get the pick right. And for as good a player as Boozer is and has a chance to be, Peterson was the only choice once Dybantsa was taken by the Wizards. It leaves the Jazz with a team that can compete in a loaded Western Conference. And Peterson gives Utah the top-end talent it has lacked since Mitchell and Deron Williams.
