DarrynPeterson

News: 19 hours agoPeterson has impressed veteran teammate Jusuf Nurkic with his maturity and work ethic during training camp, according to Jazz reporter Chandler Holt.

Spin: Nurkic said that in 13 NBA seasons he hasn't seen a player enter the league with Peterson's level of maturity, adding that the rookie spends so much time working that Utah has nearly had to tell him to stay out of the gym. Peterson is preparing for his first NBA season after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft and should have an opportunity to take on a substantial role immediately.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Peterson enters his rookie season with Utah as the No. 2 overall pick and should have a path to significant minutes whether he starts immediately or not. He averaged 20.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG at Kansas while battling multiple health issues and shot 38.2% from beyond the arc. Utah has plenty of established scorers, which could keep Peterson’s usage in check early, but his shot creation and playmaking give him considerable upside. He’s an intriguing late-round target with room to outperform expectations.