It is done. It is over. All the rumors. All the speculation. All the questions. All the anxiety. The period between the NBA Finals and the NBA Draft is a breeding ground for baseless reporting, inference-driven predictions, and rampant guesswork that the awaiting basketball community gobbles down like barbecue on Independence Day.

Now, we are mercifully released from that period's shackles, as the Utah Jazz have officially cashed in the rights to the second overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. And with it, they picked the obvious candidate: Darryn Peterson out of Kansas.

Peterson has battled with top pick AJ Dybantsa for years over the designation and honor of being recognized as the number-one prospect in their class. And while Dybantsa may have won the battle by being taken first overall by Washington, Peterson has routinely outdone his adversary on the court, winning in nearly every head-to-head meeting dating back to their high school days.

That was punctuated by an all-encompassing eruption when the pair met in college, as BYU visited Lawrence, Kansas for a Big 12 Conference duel.

Peterson and the Jayhawks torched the BYU defense, with Peterson disrupting on the defensive end and capitalizing on the other side with a soul-snatching pull-up, a heartbreaking three-ball, and a poster slam over BYU's bigs that, in retrospect, was borderline inhumane.

It's clear looking back that Kevin Young did Dybantsa no favors by matching the future number-one pick up against Peterson on this performance of 18 points in 20 minutes.

Peterson shared that not being selected number-one overall will be a motivating factor for the rest of his professional career. As if the killer who people are comparing to Kobe Bryant needed any more motivation.

So what does Darryn Peterson bring to the Utah Jazz? You don't need to look much further than that highlight reel against BYU. 

First and foremost, Peterson is one of the most naturally gifted scorers that we've ever seen at his position. Despite primarily shooting jumpers and pull-ups off the dribble during his freshman season, Peterson was much more of a downhill attacker in high school. It'll be fascinating to see whether that came from Bill Self, injury limitations, or some unknown variable -- I expect we'll learn quickly during his rookie season. Either way, he has been deadly with the ball in his hands.

On the defensive end, he may be one of the best perimeter defenders in his class. Strong instincts and active hands grabbed Peterson a stockpile of steals as a freshman, and he slots perfectly alongside Keyonte George -- a defensively challenged contributor for the Jazz -- in the back court.

But above all else, Peterson possesses star potential unlike any other player currently with the Jazz, and that includes former All-Stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. He could be an MVP candidate in a matter of years, which is the type of player the Jazz haven't seen since... Deron Williams? Donovan Mitchell? Even saying these out loud, I don't think Utah has had a legitimate MVP player since Karl Malone over two decades ago.

Malone led the team to their last NBA Finals appearance. Maybe Peterson can lead them to their next.