After many months of waiting, Darryn Peterson finally knows where his basketball future will be and how his career will start to take shape. The Utah Jazz wasted no time selecting the former star Kansas basketball guard second overall in the 2026 NBA Draft to be the newest face of the franchise, after the Washington Wizards took the rival Big 12 BYU forward AJ Dybantsa as the first selection.
Peterson had been in the news relentlessly over the last few weeks, most notably for having only taken multiple meetings with the Wizards and holding just one meeting with the Jazz in the pre-draft process. What's even more interesting is the fact that he did not formally work out for any pro team before being drafted.
His reasoning for this was that teams know what he can do on the court. But coming off of a rocky one-and-done season at Kansas may have stunted the Wizards' process and may have been the last little nudge given to Dybantsa. Peterson now joins a young Jazz squad with a strong frontcourt and a savvy young head coach in Will Hardy.
Utah Jazz select Kansas guard Darryn Peterson No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft
Peterson played in just 24 of 35 eligible games for the Jayhawks during his time in Lawrence, his absences being characterized as an overdose of creatine prior to games that would force his leg muscles to cramp up, and at one point drove him to be hospitalized for it.
Jayhawks fans probably never got the chance to see him at full strength, but nonetheless, he averaged over 20 points per game on nearly 53% effective field goal percentage to go along with four rebounds. Peterson has a calm demeanor that should fit right in with the Jazz and instantly make him a leader that guys will have to respect on and off the court.
Peterson and 22-year-old guard Keyonte George will assume the duties of a young but uberly talented backcourt, with veteran Lauri Markkanen steadying the ship alongside one of the better young centers in the league in Walker Kessler. It also cannot be forgotten that 19-year-old Ace Bailey is a star in the making, as well as the Jazz trading for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. that should hold that unit to a standard.
Questions around whether Peterson can be coachable are largely overblown, as Bill Self has repeatedly stated just how hard of a worker he is and how high his ceiling can be at the next level. Now, we as Jayhawk fans can follow Peterson's career ascension as the highest drafted Jayhawk since Aaron Wiggins in 2014, going No. 1 overall.
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