Jazz Rookie Darryn Peterson Electrifies Summer League Crowd in Salt Lake City
jazz-rookie-darryn-peterson-electrifies-summer-league-crowd
Guard Darryn Peterson wasted little time making an impression in his first appearance for the Utah Jazz, drawing a standing ovation as he led the team onto the floor for pre-game warm-ups Saturday at the Salt Lake City Summer League.
Moments after the opening tip at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center, the No. 2 overall pick split Atlanta’s defense for an uncontested layup, again bringing fans to their feet. The play was not called by the coaching staff; Peterson said he merely recognized a favorable matchup. “I saw a bigger guy step out on me, so I just attacked,” he explained.
The 19-year-old kept the highlights coming. A little more than a minute later, he chased down fellow rookie Kingston Flemings for a block and went on to score 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Peterson admitted he was motivated by seeing Hawks forward Zuby Ejiofor, whose St. John’s team knocked Peterson’s Kansas squad out of the NCAA Tournament in March. “That was on my mind,” Peterson said. “I was happy to get the win.”
George to Serve as One-Game Assistant Coach
Second-year guard Keyonte George has received NBA permission to join Utah’s coaching staff for one night, acting as an unpaid assistant during the July 9 Las Vegas Summer League matchup with the Washington Wizards, according to his agent Jason Ranne. League officials believe this is the first time an active player will serve in an official coaching capacity during Summer League.
Kessler Trade Aimed at Salary Flexibility
Team executives anticipated Walker Kessler would draw a restricted free-agent offer sheet worth roughly $36 million annually and chose to pre-empt that scenario by sending the center to the Los Angeles Lakers for multiple future draft picks. Matching such an offer would have pushed Utah to the edge of the luxury-tax threshold and limited future roster moves. With George eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer, the front office concluded it could keep either George or Kessler, but not both.
Bailey Focuses on Strength, Two-Way Role
Forward Ace Bailey has emphasized nutrition and weight training since the season ended and plans to translate that added strength into Summer League play. “Summer League is time to put those benchmarks into action,” assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “Now it’s time to do it on the court and see where you’re at.” The Jazz have asked Bailey to expand his impact at both ends of the floor, and this week’s games will serve as the first test of that progress.
Source: Hoops Rumors
