Jazz's Will Hardy Impressed With Darryn Peterson Early–

The Utah Jazz are less than a month away from seeing their No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson take the floor for his first NBA regular season game.

And the closer we get to seeing Peterson make his official Jazz debut, the excitement surrounding what his first year could look like seems to continue increasing with time.

That's especially so when asking Peterson's head coach, Will Hardy, who had a ton of positive reviews to give his rookie based on what he's seen from him in their first few months together––even if the rookie hasn't stepped foot on the floor for a preseason game yet.

What Will Hardy Said About Darryn Peterson

During Jazz media day earlier this week, Hardy was asked about some of what's stood out about Peterson in the brief time that he's been in the building thus far.

And one key aspect about Peterson that Hardy has already picked up on is the fact that he's already pretty great professional as a 19-year-old, which is a positive in more ways than one.

"I've learned that Darryn is incredibly professional for where he is in his career in terms of: he already has a pretty good baseline of routines," Hardy said about Peterson. "When we saw professional habits, really, what we're talking about is having a routine."

"I think Darryn is a very serious young man when it comes to the work that he's doing every day. He's shown the ability to be a pretty fast learner."

With such a high level of professionalism and fast learning ability, that tends to help Peterson's case to catch onto the Jazz's plans, and become a serious focal point on both ends of the floor early in the year.

Feb 26, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Peterson's already entering this season as one of the more talented, gifted prospects that the draft class has to offer as a whole, especially on the offensive side of the ball. So if he's able to get even better before game one of his rookie campaign, that tends to be a great sign for all involved.

So a breakout rookie season feels more than possible for Peterson. But for Hardy, he's still looking to keep expectations modest for his first year. Because as with any new young player, rookie mistakes are inevitably going to be made.

"As far as what to expect, I would expect a season from a rookie in the NBA," Hardy said of Peterson. "I think he's going to have some good moments. I think he'll have some hard ones. I think that's pretty natural for any young player. But I'm really excited about getting him into the group."

"Everyone gets excited watching young players play in Summer League; as they should, it's your first exposure to them. But, this is going to be very different. Training camp, preseason, the regular season is all going to be necessary for Darryn to find his footing and for us to figure out what's best in terms of using his skillset."

Will Hardy on what he expects from Darryn Peterson's rookie season with the Jazz:

🗣️ "I would expect a season from a rookie in the NBA. I think he's going to have some good moments... he'll have some hard ones."

"I think that's pretty natural for any young player." pic.twitter.com/eLXW8L8wAK
— Utah Jazz On SI (@JazzOnSI) September 29, 2026

Overall, though, the Jazz seem to be extremely satisfied with the young talent they've added to the building this summer. And in Hardy's mind, he seems to think the fans in Utah will feel the same about their No. 2 pick in no time.

"I think our fanbase is going to take to Darryn very quickly. He's competitive, he's tough, he's excited to be here. He's a good teammate. He's great with people. I think the transition into our Utah family is pretty seamless."

Be sure to follow Utah Jazz On SI on X to stay up to date for daily Utah Jazz news, rumors and analysis!

Add us as a preferred source on Google