What I'm Watching From Darryn Peterson in Utah Jazz's Preseason

The Utah Jazz sit right around the corner from seeing their No. 2 overall pick and highly-touted rookie, Darryn Peterson, step on the floor for his first preseason game against the Denver Nuggets.

It marks a long-awaited moment in Peterson's rookie season since he arrived in Utah back in June. Peterson is now one step forward to making his official rookie debut for the regular season at the end of the month, yet will have a few preseason games on tap to get his feet wet with a few live NBA contests.

For Peterson, it'll be the first time that he's stepped on an NBA floor since the summer league. And with that hiatus in mind, combined with the past several weeks of getting adjusted with his new team, it sets up a few questions as to how his preseason could go before his rookie campaign officially gets underway at the end of October.

Let's sort through three of the biggest questions that I'll be looking for Peterson and the Jazz to answer as they begin their preseason this weekend:

Will He Get the Start in Game One?

Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There has been a bit of conversation about how the Jazz's opening night lineup might look once we get towards to the start of the season. And in game one of the preseason against the Denver Nuggets, Will Hardy will finally get a chance to show his cards at what his first five on the floor will look like.

During media day, Hardy did note that he wasn't sure about the Jazz's starting lineup plan until he saw his players on the floor. He also downplayed the importance of the starting five itself, and put more emphasis on how many minutes each player gets out of 240 total.

Regardless of Hardy's feelings, though, whether or not Darryn Peterson is a part of that starting lineup will be an interesting storyline to watch in the Jazz's first preseason game before they even take the floor.

My bet is on Ace Bailey to take the start, while Peterson begins his career in Utah off the bench, but Hardy might just have some tricks up his sleeve.

How Many Shot Opportunities Will He Get?

Kansas' Darryn Peterson warms up before a Big 12 Conference men's basketball game, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, at United Supermarkets Arena. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

What will be more important to keep an eye on outside of Peterson's starting status will be just how involved he is in the Jazz's gameplan on the offensive end.

The Kansas product was brought into the league with expectations of being a pretty polished three-level scorer from the jump. And if that holds up as he transitions to the next level, there's a world where the Jazz draw up several designed looks for him offensively early in the year for him to get more involved and comfortable as soon as they can.

There's also a chance the Jazz take things slow with Peterson's integration and development plan. Maybe he's more of an off-ball threat and bench spark plug to start, rather than immediately being plugged into an integral primary scoring role.

This preseason slate will give us a good indicator of right about where Peterson stands.

What Does His Defense Look Like?

Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy instructs the team during the first half of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Peterson expressed during his first press conference with the Jazz that he wanted to pride himself on being a two-way defender. And this Utah lineup could absolutely use an impactful two-way player in their backcourt like Peterson, which was a large part of the appeal to drafting him.

But whether or not he's a high-level defender as soon as year one remains to be seen. While Peterson has the frame, athleticism, and the IQ to hone into a strong perimeter defender at the NBA level, whether or not he can immediately become a plus-level defender in the pros is still widely unknown until he's out on the floor for an in-game setting.

Peterson will have his hands full when it comes to his preseason matchups on tap: two games against the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, a date with the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, then wrap up their four-game slate against one of the best perimeter scorers in the NBA, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

So for Peterson, there's no doubt that he's going to have to hit the ground running defensively in preseason if he's going to keep up with these elite offensive threats––so long as they are all active in these upcoming exhibition matchups.

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