Darryn Peterson Flashes Play-Making in Second Summer League Tilt

Jazz guard Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 overall pick at the 2026 NBA Draft, already wowed in his NBA Summer League opener. But he took the opportunity in his second game to up the ante.

In facing off against fellow No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies, Peterson put together one of the best games we’ve seen of his in the last calendar year.

Peterson’s scoring ability is a known factor, making his 28-point debut and subsequent 25-point follow up impressive but not earth-shattering.

In his opener, he largely looked as billed — a highly potent combo guard, though one who isn’t yet a true facilitator. He had eight turnovers in the first game, and while they mostly weren’t his fault, he still didn’t showcase true point guard potential.

In his second outing, he showed just that.

In addition to his 25 points, Peterson posted 12 assists to just two turnovers, facilitating like a true lead player at the NBA level. Even more, he did so largely against Grizzlies’ wing Cedric Coward, a stingy NBA defender fresh off All-Rookie First Team.

One of Peterson’s biggest knocks in the pre-draft process was his lack of passing ability with Kansas. Due to injury and a lack of burst, he was relegated almost completely to off-ball scoring opportunities, massively limiting his chances to pass. Even when given chances, he rarely made the most of them, averaging just 1.6 assists per game.

Interestingly, Peterson has already blown out his previous high in assists at Kansas in just two Summer League games. He never eclipsed more than four assists in a game at Kansas, doing that three times. On Monday, he totaled that against Memphis.

The spaced-out NBA was always set to give Peterson more room to operate. And with his health problems seemingly behind him, he’s looked like an unflappable driver, shooter and shot-maker.

Peterson’s breakout passing in Game 2 is also a testament to his preps tape, which shows plenty of high-level facilitation, and should be taken into account given the limited sample at Kansas.

Regardless of where he lands on the lead guard spectrum, Peterson is clearly a talent and the crown jewel of the Jazz rebuild, having posted 50-plus points through two wins with Utah.

Peterson is likely to sit out of the Jazz's tilt with Oklahoma City on Tuesday prepping for a matchup with AJ Dybantsa and the Wizards in Las Vegas.

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