While there’s still a good chunk of time before the Utah Jazz make their second-overall draft selection official, the consensus seems to believe that their ultimate selection will end up being Kansas …
While there’s still a good chunk of time before the Utah Jazz make their second-overall draft selection official, the consensus seems to believe that their ultimate selection will end up being Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
And even as he might be the second player off the board, he’s far from a poor consolation prize for the Jazz to land.
He’s widely seen by many as what could still be the best possible prospect in this year’s class, and is sure to be a difference-maker in the backcourt for years to come, whether that be with Utah or elsewhere.
In fact, he might even have the chops of being a day-one starter with the Jazz, despite the established five-man group they seemingly have within their currently projected starters.
Could Darryn Peterson Start Day 1 if Drafted to the Jazz?
During a recent ESPN 700 interview with Jazz insider Sarah Todd of Deseret News, she broke down what the starting five situation may look like if Peterson is inevitably the selection with Utah’s second pick.
And while she believes there’s certainly at least a chance that the Jazz bring Peterson along slowly as they have with other top rookies in recent years, there also might be a real shot that he starts from day one, while Keyonte George would be their sixth man.
“We know Will Hardy, and we know the Jazz like to bring guys along slow. They don’t want anyone to be too big for their britches, you know what I’m saying?” Todd said. “And so, there’s a little piece of me that thinks, ‘Maybe they might have Darryn start off on the bench on the rookie.’ Then again, it’s just like– he’s so good. He’s number two.”
“They had Ace [Bailey] come along slowly too, and he was number five,” she continued. “I think that Darryn might be in a different ballpark, though. So, if I was giving you a starting five under the assumption that Walker Kessler is on the roster, I would go: [Jaren Jackson], Walker, Lauri, Ace, Darryn, and Keyonte would be the sixth man.”
Typically, the Jazz have taken more of a slow, gradual approach when bringing their rookies along as a starter or key rotational player.
It took Keyonte George until December of the regular season calendar to get his first reps as a starter back in 2023. Ace Bailey wasn’t a starter for the first nine games of his career, despite being the franchise’s first top-five pick in over a decade.
So to hear that Peterson might be an exception to that trend is certainly eye-catching. Especially if it means that his selection could uproot a starting spot from a guard like George, who played at a near-All-Star level last season, that becomes even more so.
There’s obviously no concrete evidence that Todd’s projection would be the final decision from the Jazz’s coaching brass by the time the next season rolls around. Utah hasn’t even made their pick at second overall yet.
However, it does showcase that the Jazz will have some real optionality when it comes to how their starting five could eventually look if Peterson is the eventual pick at two; whether that be bringing Keyonte off the bench, slotting Bailey in the second unit, or doing their typical approach of bringing the new rookie along slowly.
That’s not only because of the talent Utah has built up in their starting five, but also because of just how strong the top of this draft class looks when it comes to guys like Peterson or AJ Dybantsa, if he winds up as the ultimate selection at two.
It’s certainly an interesting discussion, but will become a bit more prevalent once the Jazz make their selection later this June, then get closer to tipping off next season. Regardless of how their starting five shakes out, having an excess of talent tends to always be a good problem to have.
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