New NBA Mock Draft Has Utah Jazz Landing No. 1 Prospect

While we're still a couple of months away from the debut of this year's rookie class, it's not too early to look ahead at what this summer's band of top incoming prospects could look like, and how the top of the draft may look, especially for the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz, who look primed to have a season ahead focused on the ongoing rebuild and the development of young players, will likely head toward the top of this summer's draft lottery, and with it, potentially land one of the top picks in a class that could be one of the best at the top in recent memory.

That's exactly how Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected things to pan out in his latest NBA mock draft, as the Jazz made their way to have the number-one pick on the board, where the selection would ultimately be guard Darryn Peterson–– viewed by many as the best prospect in this year's class.

"Top three is where rebuilding and lottery teams will want to be in 2026, with Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer and AJ Dybantsa finally eligible for the draft. Peterson stands out as the top prospect thanks to his ability to create his own shots, score at all three levels, and shift into a playmaker when needed."

"Kansas figures to run a big portion of its offense through his transition speed, ball-screen navigation and one-two punch of driving and pull-up shooting. While he doesn't possess AJ Dybantsa's positional size or explosion, he's still a solid 6'5" with a combo-guard skill versatility and plenty of athletic pop for finishing and making wild defensive plays."

"Improving his catch-and-shoot game may be atop his to-do list. But on the ball, the eye test sees clear translatability with how sharp he's become at changing gears off the bounce, splitting defenses, hitting tough jumpers, scoring around the rim, leveraging his gravity into playmaking, forcing turnovers and erasing shots at the basket."

Atop the next draft class looks like a clear top three prospects to keep a keen eye on: Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cam Boozer, and while all of them could have a shot at being the first name off the board next June, Peterson is the one with the honors here.

Peterson's fit with the Jazz looks super appealing on paper. As a 6-foot-5, versatile guard on both ends, he feels like a seamless fit into the backcourt and a candidate to be one of this roster's top scorers and perimeter defenders; a type of player Utah, or really anybody atop the lottery, could certainly utilize for now and the future.

Darryn Peterson is introduced with Prolific Prep before a game against St. Vincent-St. Mary in the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at Canton Memorial Civic Center. | Kevin Whitlock / Massillon Independent / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Peterson, filling in on the wing next to Ace Bailey, and a pairing in the backcourt next to either Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, or Walter Clayton Jr. is an exciting nucleus to move forward with, and gives Will Hardy a talented and versatile young core that could soon progress into a playoff-level group, even in a challenging Western Conference.

We're still a long way out until the Jazz are on the clock in the draft once again, but if they do get fortunate enough to land their first number-one pick in franchise history, Peterson will be deserving of a look his way.

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